


Because I Love You

by tea4life (tea4life882)



Category: Lin-Manuel Miranda - Fandom
Genre: Corporal Punishment, Discipline, Father/Daughter, Punishment, Spanking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2019-10-27 20:02:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 31,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17773352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tea4life882/pseuds/tea4life
Summary: Parent/child spanking stories.   This will be a collection of one-shots that show Lin-Manuel Miranda as a father using corporal punishment.   If this offends you, please read no further.  I realize this isn't for everyone.





	1. Subway Adventure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Lin is a gentle soul and I'm not sure if he'd ever actually spank any of his kids. This is just from my imagination. No disrespect to Lin, Vanessa or Pippa or any other real life person referenced in this story. I do not condone the spanking of real children.

Lin opened the front door, disappointed, to the sight of the police officer with his daughter and stepdaughter.  He had received a phone call about fifteen minutes earlier, informing him that his kids had been found in lower Manhattan wandering around the subway station, lost.  Lin looked down at the two girls - ten year old Cam and six year old Molly.  They looked nervous but relieved to be home.  They stepped inside along with the officer.

"Thank you so much for bringing them home," Lin told the officer, holding out his hand to shake.

"You're very welcome," he said, looking at the two girls.  Cam bit her lip in nervously.  "They were looking very lost."

"I'm glad you spotted them before anything happened," he said.  "Girls, what do you say to the officer?"

"Thank you," they both said softly.  The officer tipped his hat and left.  Lin closed and locked the door behind him.

"Both of you go sit on the couch," Lin told the girls, rubbing his fingers over his goatee.  Half an hour earlier, he'd been worried out of his mind, not knowing where the girls were.  They were supposed to come home right after school and it was almost 5:00.

The girls obeyed and meekly walked over to the couch, sitting down.  Lin followed them and crossed his arms, standing in front of them.

"Alright, whose bright idea was this?" He asked, looking between them.  The girls looked at each other, communicating silently.

"Both of ours," Cam admitted, looking at her feet.

"And what exactly were you planning on doing?"

"We both saved up our allowance and we wanted to go to Yums," she explained.  Yums was a huge candy shop in Manhattan.  It was every kid's dream.

"And so instead of asking me, you decided to hop on the subway by yourself and get there?"

"We thought we knew the way," Cam said quietly.

"But you didn't and you got lost," Lin pointed out.  "And when you realized you were lost, did you ask anyone for help?"

"No," she admitted.

"Do you realize how dangerous that was?" He asked, his voice showing his anger.  "How easily one of you could have been snatched up by some stranger?  Huh?"

The girls shrugged.  Molly looked terrified.  Lin had married her mother about six months earlier and she'd never been in trouble with Lin before.  She was usually a very well-behaved child.  Lin had a feeling this had mostly been Cam's idea and Molly was just going along with it.  Cam was four years older than her and knew way better than to ride the subway alone.

"I'm very disappointed in both of you," he said.  "I'm so thankful that police officer saw you and brought you home.  And I don't want either of you riding the subway alone again, am I clear?  Not until you're in high school."

To a ten year old and a six year old, that seemed eons away.  They both nodded meekly, knowing it wasn't wise to argue.  Lin sighed and rubbed the back of his head.  He didn't feel it was his place to punish Molly for something so major.  For minor things, he'd corrected her, but this was big.  He decided he needed to let his wife take this one.

"Molly, go to your room," he told his stepdaughter.  "Your mom will be in to talk to you later."

Molly got up, and so did Cam.

"Cam, sit down," he told his daughter.  "I'm not done with you yet."

Cam bit her lip and sat down reluctantly.  She knew she was in big trouble.  Lin waited for Molly to go to her room and close the door before really starting in on his daughter.

"Cam, I cannot believe you would pull something like this," he told his daughter.  "You know better than to go anywhere in this city alone.  It's dangerous for kids out by themselves, and it's about to start getting dark.  What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry, daddy," she said quietly, tearing up a bit.  She knew enough about her father that when she did something like this - something that put her safety in jeopardy - that he would be spanking her.  Still, she held on to that tiny bit of hope that he would cut her some slack.

"You not only put your safety in jeopardy, but you put Molly's safety in jeopardy as well," he reminded her.  "How would you feel if Molly got kidnapped and you had to explain to Pippa that her daughter was gone?  Did you think of that?"

"No," she admitted.

"I didn't think so," he said, shaking his head.  "Go get the paddle and meet me in your room."

"Daddy, no!" She pleaded with him immediately.  It was one thing to get spanked, and it was quite another to get paddled.  "Please, I'm sorry!"

"It's not up for discussion," he told her.  "Go."

Cam started crying and stood up, knowing pleading with him was no use.  If her dad decided something, there was no backing down.  He didn't play around.  She slowly began walking back to his bedroom.  Lin followed behind her and stopped at her bedroom door, leaning on the doorframe as he watched her go.  He found that making Cam go get the paddle she was about to be spanked with added to the punishment.

Cam entered her father's bedroom and went to his closet, sniffling.  On the inside, the family's paddle hung on a nail.  It had been handed down from his own father.  It had spanked its fair amount of Miranda butts.  Cam reluctantly took it off and started walking back to her bedroom.  She looked up at her father, eyes pleading, as she reached her room.  Her father did not look at all sympathetic.  He held out his hand and she handed him the paddle.

 

Cam walked in and Lin shut the door behind them.  He rolled up his sleeves.

"Bend over the bed, Cam," he told her.

"Daddy..." she began to plead one more time.

"Now," he told her firmly.

Cam reluctantly walked to the foot of the bed.  She laid her upper body over the bed, so her bottom was poised on the edge, ready to be spanked.  She instinctively put one hand over her bottom as her father walked over to her.

"Move your hand," he told her, but she couldn't.  Lin gripped her wrist and pinned it to the back of her lower back.  Without any more hesitation, Lin brought the paddle back and let it land hard on his daughter's bottom.

She let out a little gasp.  Lin pulled the paddle back again and delivered a second smack, the sound of the paddle hitting her little bottom echoing in the bedroom.

"Ahh-h-h-howwwww," she complained tearfully, squirming beneath his hand, which kept her pinned to the bed.  Lin pressed down a little more firmly as her body moved around.

In quick succession, he brought down three more hard swats to her bottom for a total of five.  By the end, she was bawling.  He set the paddle down on her desk nearby and then put his hands under her hips, pulling her body up on to the bed so she could cry it out.  Lin knew he'd spanked her hard.  He didn't like doing it, but she needed to know she couldn't do things like this that would put her safety in jeopardy.  Lin made sure his spankings made a lasting impression.

"Stay in here until dinner," he told her as he picked up the paddle and walked back to his bedroom.  Lin hung the paddle back up in his closet, hoping it would stay in there for a long time.  He sighed, releasing his pent-up anxiety.  Cam had scared the hell out of him that afternoon.

In the next bedroom, Molly sat, terrified on her bed.  She'd heard the sounds of the paddle hitting her stepsister's bottom, and the crying that followed.  Was Lin going to come paddle her next?  She sat nervously, wondering if he was going to come in to spank her next.

Lin went out to the kitchen and began to prepare dinner to have something to do.  He busied himself chopping vegetables and cutting up the chicken.  About fifteen minutes later, Pippa walked in, looking a bit flushed.

"God, Lin," she sighed as she set her bag on the counter.  Pippa walked over to him and they hugged.  She'd been worried sick about the girls as well.  She was relieved when Lin texted her that a police officer had picked them up and brought them home.  "Is she in her room?"

"Yep," he said.  "I know we said we could discipline each other's kids, but this one is major, so I thought I'd let you handle it."

"That's fine," she told him, sighing as she found some wine.  "What did they say?"

"They'd saved up their allowance and wanted to go to Yums.  They took the subway, thinking they knew the way but got lost," he reported.

"Unbelievable," she shook her head as she took a sip of her wine.

"I think Cam was the mastermind," he said.  "Molly was just going along with it."

"Still, Molly knows better than to ride the subway without an adult," Pippa said.

"So does Cam," Lin said.  "I paddled her.  She knows way better."

"Wow," Pippa said.  She knew Lin didn't often paddle his daughter, but understood why he would in this instance.  Pippa had never spanked her daughter before.  Her ex, Austin, had a few times, but it seemed to her something the father took care of.  She didn't want to put Lin in a tough position.  She didn't think he was comfortable spanking Molly.

"I've never spanked Molly," she admitted to her husband.  "I don't think I can do it."  


"You don't have to spank her," Lin said.  "That's your decision.   And, like I said, I don't think it was Molly's idea.  She just needs to learn how to stand up and say no when she knows something isn't right."

Pippa nodded and drank the last of her wine.  She set the empty glass on the counter and made her way back to Molly's room.  She knocked on the door and let herself in.  Molly had been quietly crying on her bed.

"Mommy!" She held up her arms for her mother.  Pippa gave her daughter a hug, but then gave her a firm look.

"Molly, I'm very disappointed in you," she said, and the little girl looked down, ashamed.  "You know better than to ride the subway alone.  Why did you go along with it?"

"Because Cam thought it was a good idea," she said.

"But did you think it was a good idea?"

"No," she admitted.

"So, you need to listen to your conscience and say no.  Even if the other person is older than you.  Do you think you can do that next time?"

"Yeah," she said quietly.  "Mommy, is Lin gonna spank me?"

"No, sweetheart," she said.  "He chose to spank Cam because this was her idea and she'd older and should know better.  You're not his daughter."

Molly immediately looked relieved.  Pippa tucked a piece of hair behind her daughter's ear.  "You still need to be punished though," she said.  "What do you think is fair?"

She shrugged her shoulders, looking at her mother.

"I think you need to miss out on that sleepover you were planning on going to this weekend," she told Molly.  Her daughter had been looking forward to it for weeks.  Molly accepted it without arguing, but was obviously disappointed.  Pippa told her to stay in her room the rest of the evening.

The girls only came out for dinner, which was mostly quiet.  Both girls were still upset from getting in trouble, especially Cam.  When dinner was finished, they were both told to load the dishwasher then go to their rooms. 

Lin liked to make a point of checking in with his daughter later any time he had to resort to corporal punishment.  Even though he'd had to spank her, he needed her to know he loved her.  A while after the dishes were done, he stopped by her room to check in.  She was laying on her bed on her tummy.  Lin sat on her bed and gently rubbed her back.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her.

"Fine," she said with a grumble, turning her head in the other direction.  Lin sighed.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry I had to spank you, but I can't let something like this go.  What you did was really dangerous," he said.

"I know!" she said.  "But why didn't Molly get in as much trouble as me?"

"Well, she's younger than you and you were the ringleader," he explained. 

"No," she said, sitting up.  "It was both our ideas."

"You're ten years old," he reminded her.  "You know better."

"So did she," Cam pointed out stubbornly.  Lin sighed and scratched the back of his head. 

"It's not my place to spank Molly," Lin told his daughter.  "That's up to Pippa, and she chose not to."

"But that's not fair!"

"It's perfectly fair," Lin countered.  "Pippa can punish Molly however she sees fit.  You deserved a spanking and you know it."

Cam crossed her arms, frowning.

"Anyways," Lin said, standing up.  "It's over now.  Molly's missing her sleepover this weekend and you have a sore butt.  Next time, you'll remember to ask an adult to go on the subway.  Right?"

"Yes," she grumbled.

"Yes what?" He asked her, checking her attitude.

"Yes sir," she said reluctantly.

"Thank you," he said.  "Now get ready for bed.  I love you."


	2. Fire Escape

Lin was working in the living room in the morning.  Molly had hidden herself away in her bedroom because Cam had three friends, plus her cousin Sofia, over to play.  They’d had a sleepover the evening before and had stayed up late giggling.  All the girls had slept in late.  They’d made an appearance for a pancake breakfast, then disappeared into Cam’s room again to play music and giggle.

There was a knock on the front door so Lin put his laptop aside the answer it.  When he opened it, he was surprised to find the five girls on the other side.

“What is going on?” he asked them.  Cam bit her lip as they streamed inside.

“Sorry, I forgot my key,” she told him as they tried to slip by him back to her bedroom.  Lin caught her upper arm and pulled her back.

“You were in your bedroom,” Lin reminded her.  “How’d you get around to the front door?”

The other girls all went back to Cam’s room, leaving the ten year old alone with her father, who was looking at her suspiciously.  Cam hated that look.  She knew he wouldn’t be letting up until he got the full story.  She sighed.

“Ummm, we decided we wanted to go up to the roof,” she said, not wanting to elaborate any further.

“And you got there how?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“The fire escape?”

Lin looked up and sighed.  “Cam, the fire escape is not for games,” he told her.  “Those stairs are meant for emergencies only.  Do you know how easy it would be to fall off those?”

“But we didn’t!” she pointed out.  “We’re all fine.”

“And you decided to come through the front door and get caught?”

“We got locked out on the roof,” she said, avoiding his eyes.  “One of the neighbors came up by chance and let us back in.”

“So you’re telling me that I could’ve gone into your room and not had any idea where you were,” he went on, “and you would’ve been locked out up on the roof?”

She bit her lip again some more.

“Look at me,” her father demanded, and she complied.  “This was incredibly irresponsible and dangerous.  Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“Sorry,” she said softly.  Lin just looked at her for several long moments.  His daughter didn’t often do something so stupid that would put her safety in danger.  When she did, she needed a firm reminder not to be so careless.  That came in the form of a spanking.

“Go to your room,” he told her.  “Tell your friends it’s time to go home.”

Cam reluctantly trudged back to her bedroom, where all her friends were.  A few minutes later, the door opened and the girls began to gather their things from around the apartment.  Soon, the three girls were ready to go.  They all lived nearby, so Lin just texted their parents that their daughters were coming home.  He also informed them of the rooftop occurrence. Knowing their parents, he was pretty sure they’d be getting spanked too. Once they were all gone, Cam cleaned up nervously in her room with her cousin Sofia.  They both knew Lin was pissed.  Sofia’s mom was Lin’s older sister.  In their family, pretty much everyone looked out for each other’s kids.  And when they messed up, they had free reign to discipline one another’s kids.  Lin was basically like a second father.  He’d spanked her plenty of times over the years.  She waited nervously, wondering if her Uncle Lin would punish her.

Lin knocked on the door a few minutes after the guests had left.  Cam responded weakly to come in.  He opened the door and closed it behind him, crossing his arms immediately.  Both girls sat on Cam’s bed.

“Sofia, whose bright idea was this?” he asked his nine year old niece.  She looked at Cam nervously.

“Umm…Cam’s?” she said, not wanting to rat out her cousin, but she didn’t dare lie to her uncle.

“And did you think it was a good idea?” he asked her.

“No, but it sounded fun,” she admitted.

“I’m sure it did,” Lin said.  “Did you think that it might be dangerous?”

“Not really,” she said quietly.

“I already talked about this with Cam,” he said.  “But I’ll repeat it again.  Fire escapes aren’t for playing.  They’re not sturdy and they’d be easy for little girls to fall off of.  I’m very disappointed in you both.”

“I’m sorry,” they both said meekly, hoping he’d take mercy on them.

“Good,” he told them.  “Cam, go get the paddle from my room.”

She felt the urge to protest, but knew it wasn’t wise.  If he’d already decided they were getting spanked, there was no use in arguing.  He didn’t change his mind.  Cam reluctantly stood and opened the door, then went to her parents’ room.  Inside the closet, on the wall, hung the dreaded paddle.  It had been a while since it had been used on her bottom.  Cam sighed as she unhooked it and brought it back to her bedroom.  On the way back, Molly came out of her room to use the restroom.  She saw the paddle in her step-sister’s hand and grimaced.  Since Lin wasn’t her real father, he’d never spanked her.  Seeing the paddle in Cam’s hand, she was grateful.

Cam went back inside and closed the door, handing her father the paddle.  He was just finishing up lecturing Sofia a little more.  Cam held out the paddle and he took it from her as he continued to lecture Sofia.

“You’re going to get on the phone after this and tell your mom and dad what you did,” he told his niece.  Sofia was already crying softly.  If he wasn’t going to spank her, he would’ve sent her out of the room, but he did no such thing.  “Cam, over the bed.”

The ten year old reluctantly bent her upper body over the bed, so her bottom was sticking out right at the edge.  She closed her eyes as she felt her father’s hand gently push down on her upper back to keep her in place.  A few moments later, she felt the paddle connect with her bottom hard, and there was a loud smack.

“Owwww!!!” she complained immediately, and her body jerked automatically.  Her father’s hand pressed down on her a little more, giving her no escape.  Her poor little bottom had no way of avoiding the hard smacks being delivered by the paddle.  Two seconds later, the paddle came down again, and she couldn’t stop the tears from coming.  Cam protested loudly as her father spanked her butt hard with the paddle three more times.

Poor Sofia had the experience of watching her older cousin get paddled by her father, knowing she was about to suffer the same fate.  Her uncle was spanking her really hard.  She counted five swats of the paddle.  When he was finished, he pulled her up and told her to go stand in the corner.  She hopped a little from foot to foot and rubbed at her bottom as she cried.

“Your turn,” Lin told his niece.  Sofia bit her lip and stood up slowly, but froze.  She wasn’t that used to the paddle.  Most of the time her father spanked her, but he did it with his hand.   She felt her uncle’s hand spin her around and then guide her to lay face down.  Just as with Cam, he pushed down gently on her upper back to prevent her from moving around too much.

Lin didn’t waste any time.  Just because this was his niece, didn’t mean he’d be going easy on her.  He brought the paddle down on her bottom hard.  Sofia let out a little yelp and her body jerked.  Lin spanked her soundly, landing a total of five swats on her butt.  She was sobbing when he finished and pulled her up.  He sent her to another corner of the room.

Lin looked at the two girls – they were both crying, rubbing at their stinging bottoms.

“Sofia, when you’ve calmed down, come out to the living room and we’ll call your parents,” he told his niece.  “Cam, stay in here until lunch time.”

Lin left the room so the girls could cry it out.  He’d spanked them both hard and soundly, and knew his message had gotten through.  He was pretty sure they’d never use the fire escape again.

Back in the bedroom, the two cousins were slowly starting to get ahold of themselves.  Their bottoms stung.  As they wiped their eyes, Cam went to her mirror and pulled down her shorts and panties a little to get a look at her bottom.  It was red, and would stay that way for hours probably.  Sofia joined her, taking a look at her own bottom.  Both were equally red.  They’d been spanked hard.

They didn’t talk much, and both decided to lay down on the bed to calm down a bit more.

“My mom and dad are gonna be really mad at me,” Sofia confessed to her cousin.  She was dreading the phone call.  Cam thought she was slightly luckier than her cousin.  At least her punishment was over.  Having to tell her parents would suck.

“They won’t spank you again will they?” Cam asked.

“No,” Sofia said.  Her Uncle Lin probably spanked harder than her own father, so there was no need.  She’d been punished enough.  Sofia wasn’t about to go out and willingly call her parents.  About half an hour later, Lin knocked on Cam’s door and poked his head in.  The girls were laying on the bed together.

“Sofia, let’s make that call,” he told his niece.  “Come on out.”  


Sofia reluctantly pushed herself up and walked to the door.  She followed her uncle out to the living room and she sat on the couch.  Lin pulled out his cell phone and called his older sister’s number.  Sofia hoped she wouldn’t answer, but a few seconds later, Lin was talking.

“Hey, Luz,” he greeted his sister.  “Everything’s fine now, but Sofia needs to tell you something.  She and Cam got into some trouble this morning.”

Lin handed her the phone and then started cleaning up a bit around the living room as he listened in, making sure Sofia included all the details.

“Mommy?” she answered, rubbing at her eyes.

“Hi, Sofia,” she said.  “What happened?”

Sofia struggled not to start crying again as she retold the story of how they’d all climbed the fire escape upstairs and had gotten locked out.

“Sofia, I’m surprised at you,” her mother scolded.  “Fire escapes are not for games.  They’re for emergencies only.”

“I know.  I’m sorry,” she told her mother.

“Did Uncle Lin punish you?”

“Uh-huh,” she said.  “He paddled me.”

“Good,” she said.  “Your father would have done the same.  When you get home this afternoon, you’re going straight to your room and you’ll stay there.”

“Okay,” she said.

“Have you apologized to your Uncle Lin?” she asked.

“No,” she said.

“Apologize as soon as we’ve hung up,” she told her daughter.  “Can you put your Uncle Lin back on the phone please?”

“Uncle Lin,” she called softly.  “Mom wants to talk to you again.”

“Hey,” he said to his sister, resting the phone between his shoulder and his ear.

“Sorry she did that,” Luz told her brother.  “She knows better.”

“Yeah, she does,” he said, looking at his niece, who looked repentant.  “So does Cam.  I paddled them both pretty thoroughly.”  


“Thanks,” she said.  “We would’ve done the same.  We’ll be back in town around 3:00.  We’ll take Sofia straight home.”

“Okay.  Sounds good.”

The siblings hung up and Lin tucked his phone back in his pocket.

“Uncle Lin?” Sofia asked timidly.

“Yeah?” he turned back to his niece.

“Sorry for causing trouble,” she told him.  Lin saw the look on her face and could tell she was really sorry.  He couldn’t stay mad at her or his own daughter for long, and he could tell she desperately wanted him to forgive her.  Lin smirked just slightly and stepped back over to his niece.  He planted a kiss on the top of her head.

“Thank you, Sof,” he told her.  “I know you learned your lesson.  I love you.”

“I love you too,” she said.  Lin continued working around the house, making phone calls.  Sofia decided to curl up on the sofa and just lay quietly.  Her bottom was still a little sore, but it wasn’t throbbing any more.

A few hours later, her parents knocked at the door.  Despite knowing they were disappointed in her, she smiled and ran to them.  Her mother was having a hard time keeping a stern face.  Sofia hugged her mother warmly, then her father.  They drove home together and Sofia went to her bedroom without protest.

Around noon, Lin went to Cam’s room.  He hadn’t heard a peep out of her since he’d spanked her hours earlier.  He’d just prepared sandwiches for the girls and they were waiting at the kitchen table.  Lin pushed his daughter’s door open and found Cam laying on her stomach on her bed, reading a book.  He sat down on the edge and Cam marked her page with a bookmark.

“Hi, peanut,” he greeted her gently.  Lin had been angry with her earlier, but that had dissipated now.

“Hi, Daddy,” she answered quietly, resting her chin on her arm.

“Are you feeling okay?” he asked.

“I guess,” she said.

“Still sore?”

“A little,” she said, and he nodded.  He was sure her bottom was still a little red.

“Lunch is ready.  You can come to the table as soon as you’re ready,” he told her and moved to stand up.

“Daddy?” her voice stopped him, and he sat back down.

“Yeah, peanut?”

“Will you rub my back a little bit?” she requested.  He smiled a little and scooted closer to her.  Since she was a little child, this was a frequent request when she wasn’t feeling good.  Whether she was sick, upset, or just tired, she loved the feeling of having her back rubbed gently.  Lin gladly obliged.  After having to spank her, something he didn’t like to do, it was nice to be able to do something for her that felt good.

Cam closed her eyes as her father gently rubbed her back in circles.

“You’re a good kid, Cam,” he reminded her.  “You just made a mistake today.  You were being silly with your friends and it got out of hand, didn’t it?”

“Uh-huh,” she agreed softly.

“I know you learned your lesson and you won’t do it again,” he said.  Cam nodded and sighed out.  Lin rubbed her back for another five minutes or so, before giving it a couple gentle pats.

“Come on, kiddo,” he said, holding out his hands to help pull her up.  Cam accepted and he helped her stand.  As soon as she was up, Cam wrapped her arms around her father.  Lin patted her back and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

“Love you,” he told her.  “Now let’s go eat.”


	3. Babysitting Trouble 1

V and I were enjoying a rare night out one Friday evening.  It had been months since we'd been able to get away for a whole night with no kids.  We had four now.  Sebastian was twelve now, which I had a hard time believing.  Francisco was nine, and the twins were six.  Emilia and Sophia couldn't be two different little girls.  Sophia was quiet and sweet and unexpectedly hilarious.  Emilia was a natural born leader, strong-willed, and sometimes a bit bossy.  They were about to finish kindergarten and all the kids were looking forward to summer vacation.

I laughed at something V said when I got a text.  We'd been keeping an eye on the phone because the kids were all home with a couple teenage sisters from our apartment complex.  Since there were four kiddos, we thought that might be too much for one sitter to handle.  We knew the girls were very responsible, so we had no qualms about leaving them in charge.

 _Emilia refusing to go to bed..._   Courtney, the older sister texted me.

I sighed and picked up the phone.

_Remind her she has a bday party tomorrow she can miss.  If she gives you more problems, call._

"What's going on?" Vanessa asked, sipping some wine.

"Em's giving them a hard time going to bed," I told her, tucking my phone back in my pocket.  We'd been having problems with Emilia lately.  She'd been getting in trouble at school quite a lot - not obeying the teacher and being mean.  Her teacher used a color system - green, yellow, and red.  If she brought home a yellow or red, she was punished.  Depending on the severity, she got privileges taken away, sent to her room, or spanked.  I'd had to spank her three times in the last month.

Vanessa and I steered clear of talking about the kids on our night out.  We promised ourselves we'd talk about ourselves only.  We continued to chat and enjoy each other.  Fifteen minutes later, though, my phone started buzzing with a phone call.  I dug out my phone and saw it was Courtney's number.

"Shit," I said.  "It's Courtney."

Vanessa poured back the rest of her wine, figuring we were probably going to have to leave soon.

"Hi, it's Lin," I answered.

"Hi, Mr. Miranda," Courtney answered politely.  "I'm so sorry to bother you."

"That's okay.  What's up?"

"Emilia is being...very difficult.  We got her into bed but then somehow it evolved into her attacking Sophia.  We have Soph out on the couch having a cuddle.  Emilia's downstairs in the playroom, refusing to come up.  Sebastian even tried to get her up, but she was being awful."

I ran my hand over my hair, frustrated.  "I'm so sorry, Courtney.  Is she nearby?"

"Yeah, I'm in the basement with her."

"Put her on, please," I told her.  I heard the phone being passed over.

"Daddy, Sophia was being mean to me," she immediately complained.

"Emilia Luz Miranda, you are on very thin ice right now," I warned her.  "Your mother and I are trying to have a nice night out, and Courtney has to contact me twice because of your behavior.  You were attacking Sophia?"

"Because she told me I was being a brat and she wished she didn't have to share a room with me," Emilia explained.  Honestly, I didn't blame Sophia.

"That is no reason you start physically attacking hurt," I said.  "Did you hurt her?"

"Not really," she said.

"Listen to me," I told her.  "You're going to get your butt to bed right now.  You can forget about that birthday party tomorrow."

"Daddy!"

"Go to bed, Emilia.  Now."

She hung up the phone and I tucked it away again, breathing out through my mouth to calm myself.

"Well, I guess that brings an end to our night," Vanessa said, putting on some Chapstick.

I looked at my watch.  "It's about time we headed home anyway."

We got our things and hailed a taxi to go home.  When we arrived, Sebastian and Francisco were on the couch watching a movie.  Their bedtime wasn't until 10 on the weekends.  They were munching on popcorn.

"Hi, Dad," Francisco called to me.

"Hey, buddy." I put my wallet, phone, and keys on the counter and took off my coat.  Courtney walked over, biting her lip.

"I'm so sorry we had problems with Emilia," she told me.

"Don't apologize," I told her, patting her shoulder.  "Not your fault.  She's been a handful lately.  Is she in her room now?"

She sighed.  "No.  I'm pretty sure she snuck down the back stairs.  I heard moving around down there."

Sometimes I couldn't believe the nerve of my youngest.  She seemed to be fearless.  All the other kids were really well behaved for the most part.  They required a little discipline to get them back in line, but Emilia seemed to think of it as a suggestion.

I sighed.  "Well, someone's getting her butt spanked," I commented.  Vanessa had gotten her wallet out and was fishing around for some bills.  "Girls, I'm sorry again for tonight.  I hope you'll come back some time.  Thank you."

I disappeared down the stairs, livid that Emilia would sneak downstairs after already getting a firm warning from me.  She must have heard me coming, because when I stepped downstairs, she was nowhere in sight.

"Emilia, I know you're down here," I announced, putting my hands in my pockets.  "Come out now."

I didn't hear a peep.  I walked further into the room and saw a pile of bean bags move slightly.  I sighed and walked over, pulling the top two bags off.  There was my six year old daughter, in her pajamas, with a nervous smile on her face.  I glared at her, unhappy, then reached down to pull her to her feet.

"I don't know what's gotten into you lately, young lady, but I don't like it," I told her as I gripped her upper arm firmly.  I began to march her towards the stairs.

"Daddy, I don't want to go to bed," she whined on the way up, pulling back on me.

"It's not up for discussion," I told her, pulling on her arm.  She kept pulling so I picked her up and threw her over my shoulder.  She began to pound on my back with her fists as I reached the top of the stairs.  Francisco and Sebastian stared at us, not believing the nerve of their younger sister.  Vanessa sighed and followed behind me as I took her to her bedroom.

Sophia was sitting up in her bed, reading quietly with a teddy bear tucked under her arm.  Emilia screamed as I tried to gently transfer her to her back on her bed.  Vanessa went to Sophia's bed and took her hand, probably taking her to our room for a few minutes to talk and cuddle.

I had had it with Emilia.  I'd wanted to have a conversation with her first, but I just turned her over onto her stomach and started spanking her hard.  She screamed out and squirmed, so I pushed down on her back with my left hand and continued to swat her bottom.  I'd never spanked the boys more than three or four times, but with Em I regularly lost count.  I spanked her until she stopped fighting and was reduced to sobs.

"I am not going to tolerate this kind of behavior, Emilia!" I told her firmly as she rubbed her stinging bottom.  I decided I needed to step away because I was getting pretty angry.  I'd come back to talk to her in a minute.  Obviously, she was in no mood to listen.

I walked back to my bedroom where Vanessa had Sophia in our bed.  I sighed and went to the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.  I needed a release, so I turned on the shower, nice and hot.  I set my hands against the wall and let the hot water pour over me.  I probably stayed in there for a good fifteen minutes before finally getting out.

I tucked a towel around my waist and opened the door.  Sophia was tucked into V's side, eyes closed.  Whatever had gone on between the girls must have been talked down.  I went to my dresser and pulled out some fresh boxer briefs, sweats and a t-shirt.  It felt good to be in comfy clothes with my muscles eased.  I sighed as I sat down on the bed facing V.

"Are you okay?" she asked me.

"Yeah," I said, gently rubbing Sophia's leg over the covers.  "I just get so frustrated with Em.  Why is she so different?"

"I don't know, babe," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders.  Em was a mystery to us.  We'd tried many different approaches with her, but her attitude didn't change much.

"I feel badly for this one," I said, gently rubbing Sophia's leg some more.  "She seems to get the brunt of her anger."

"Maybe we need to rethink rooms," Vanessa suggested.

The girls had always shared a room.  They were twins and twins were supposed to be close, right?  Except Em seemed to despise Soph for some reason.  It was inexplicable.

"I should get her to bed," I said, standing up.  I walked around the bed and pulled off the covers.  She stirred slightly as I picked her up and she wrapped her arms around my neck.  I breathed in her sweet scent as I rubbed her back on the way back to her room.

When I pushed the door open, Emilia was laying on her side, sniffling quietly.  She turned the other way when I came in, putting her back to me.  I gently set Sophia down on her bed and tucked her in.  Then, I crossed the room to Emilia's bed.  I loved her like crazy, but I just wished she would drop the anger.

I sat down and gently rubbed her side.  "Em, what happened tonight?"

"Sophia was being mean to me," she said, which I highly doubted.

"Somehow I doubt that," I said out loud.  "Were you antagonizing her?"

"No," she said.

"That's not what Courtney said," I said gently.  "She said your behavior was terrible all night.  And then you snuck out of your room after I'd already warned you on the phone."

She sighed and turned over to face me.  Her cheeks were red from crying.

"You keep pushing it, Emilia," I told her.  "You don't know when to stop.  You know what happens in this house if you get out of control."

"You never spank Sophia," she told me.  It was true.  It was a rarity when I had to spank her twin sister.

"She doesn't misbehave like you do," I told her.  "I don't understand why you keep acting up when you know you're gonna get spanked."

"I can't help it," she said, playing with the drawstring on her pajama pants.

"Yes you can," I told her.  "That's what I'm trying to help you do.  You can't behave this way.  Now, it's time for you to go to sleep."

"Can I have some milk?" she tried to stall.

"No," I told her, standing up.  She rolled to the side so I could pull back the covers.  Em sighed as I pulled the covers up to her chin.  I leaned down and kissed her cheek, feeling her arms wrap around my neck.  She was a little girl in need of love.  Because she was in trouble so much, I tried to shower her with affection and praise when she was doing the right thing.  I didn't want her thinking I didn't like her, because I did.  She was my world, along with all my children.

"Tomorrow, you need to apologize to your sister," I told her, then kissed her forehead.

"Night Daddy," she told me.  As I stood up, she had a serene look on her face, like the spanking half an hour ago hadn't even happened.  She could just turn her emotions on and off.  I stopped at the door and sighed, looking at her, wishing I could figure the kid out.  After turning off the light, I closed the door and headed to the kitchen. 


	4. Matches

I moved around the kitchen, getting dinner ready one evening.  The girls were up on the roof skipping rope and just hanging out.  They were due home around 6:00, in about half an hour.  The doorbell rang and I strode across the room to open it.  I was surprised to see the girls with one of our neighbors, Mrs. Phillips.

“Mrs. Phillips,” I said.  “Hi.”

“Hi, Mr. Miranda,” she greeted him.  “I wanted to bring the girls home.  I just found them up on the room playing with these matches.”

She held up a cup filled with burned matches and I took it, examining it.  My eyes went from one daughter to the other.  They looked nervous, knowing they were in big trouble.

“Playing with matches girls?” I asked them, running my tongue over my teeth.  “That’s incredibly dangerous.”

“I talked with them about what could have happened, but I wanted to bring them back and let you know what happened.”

“I appreciate it,” I told her.  “Come in, girls.”

I looked at Mrs. Phillips.  “Thanks again.”

I closed the door and turned to my twins, crossing my arms.  “Do either of you have any more matches?  Hand them over.”

Emilia dug in her pocket and produced a little box of matches, and set it in my hand.  Sofia pulled out a lighter.  I sighed and set them on the counter.  I could not believe they’d do something as stupid as this.

“Go to your room,” I told them.  “I’m too angry to talk to you right now.”

Both girls gladly walked down the hallway to their bedroom and closed the door.  I took some deep breaths to calm myself down.  Things could have gone downhill so easily.  One mistake and they could have burned themselves or even burned down the whole building.  What if Mrs. Phillips hadn’t noticed them?

I continued with dinner, working off some of my energy.  When I got to a good stopping point, I look a deep breath and walked to the girls’ room.  I knocked and pushed it open.  They were both on their beds.  When Sofia saw me walk in, she started crying.  I pulled out the desk chair and sat down.

“Sofia, why are you crying?” I asked her, not sounding very sympathetic.  She probably knew what was coming.

“I don’t want you to spank me,” she said tearfully, rubbing at her eyes.  I sighed.

“Come sit on Em’s bed,” I told her.  Sofia got up, hiccupping between her sobs.  I leaned forward on my elbows and looked at them.

“Girls, I’m really disappointed in you,” I began.  “You could have very easily burned yourselves or burned this whole building down.  Do you realize that?”

The girls nodded a little bit, nervous.

“Burns are incredibly painful,” I told them.  “Did you think about that?”

“No,” they mumbled.

“So why did you decide to play with matches?”

They looked at each other, wondering what to say.  Emilia was more the ringleader of the two.  She was more outgoing and confident.  When they got into trouble together, it was usually her idea.  “We just wanted to know what it was like,” Emilia admitted.

“I can understand you’re curious,” I said.  “If you want to learn more about fire, you need an adult’s help.  I can light matches without it being dangerous.”

They both nodded meekly.

“But the reality is you both snuck these matches out of the house and were playing with them without an adult.  You cannot be putting your safety in danger like that.  You know I don’t play with that, so you’re both getting spanked.”

Sofia teared up again but Emilia seemed resigned to her fate.  Emilia got spanked far more than her sister.  I didn’t spank them for much – mostly lying, disrespect, and putting their safety in danger. 

“Who wants to go first?” I asked, sitting up.  Predictably, no one volunteered.  I thought it would be worse to have to watch your sister get spanked knowing you were next.  Since Sofia was so upset about it, I decided she would go first to get it out of the way.

“Sofia, come here,” I decided, holding out my hand.  She started bawling but stood up.  She took little baby steps towards me.  When she was within arm’s reach I tugged on her arm and brought her to the right side of my lap.  I guided her over my lap as she cried.

They had a tendency to squirm, so I set my arm over her back, tucking my hand around her side.  I lifted my right hand and brought it down hard on her bottom.  She yelped a little and I wasted no time in continuing.  I spanked her bottom over and over again as she squirmed and cried harder.  I counted out ten, making the last one the hardest.  Then, I helped her up and stood, walking her towards her bed.

“It’s over,” I told her.  “Lay down.”

Sofia climbed onto her bed, laying on her side as she started to rub her sore bottom.  She continued crying hard as I walked back to the center of the room.  Emilia had since moved to the back of her bed.

“Come here, Em,” I told her, gesturing with my hand.  She grumbled and curled up, so I reached over and gripped her legs underneath her knees.  She squealed as I pulled her to the edge of the bed.  Em kept fighting me and I didn’t feel like battling with her, so I just turned her over on her tummy.  She had a tendency to reach back with her hands, so I pinned both wrists to her lower back, then started to spank her hard.

Her body jerked as my hand met her little bottom.  The slaps I delivered were hard and loud.  I didn’t go easy on them.  My spankings were meant to get a message across, and I made sure it came across loud and clear.  I was to be obeyed, or face the consequences.  I spanked Emilia ten times, just like with her sister.  When I finished, I moved her lower body back onto the bed so she could cry it out.

Sofia had since calmed down a bit, but their hands were on their bottoms, trying to rub away the sting.  I tucked the chair back under the desk.

“Stay in here until dinner,” I told them firmly.  I closed the door behind me and went to the kitchen.  I could hear them both crying as I continued making dinner.  It was almost ready, and my wife should be home soon.  A few minutes later, the door opened and she walked in, looking professional and in charge.

“Hey,” she greeted me, setting her things down.

“Hey,” I said, not my normal peppy self.  I’m sure she could hear the girls crying in their room.

“Uh oh,” she said, walking over to me.  “Did someone get a spanking?”

“Both of them,” I said, giving her a kiss as she walked over.  She rubbed my chest, looking down at what I was cooking.

“What did they do?”

“They were playing with matches on the roof,” I said, turning off the burner and taking the pasta to the sink to be drained.

“Oh jeez,” she said, kicking off her heels.  “That’s not good.”

“No it’s not,” I agreed.

“I’m gonna go change real quick,” she said.  I nodded as I started to dish the dinners out.  I heard Vanessa pad down the hallway to our room.  A minute or so later, I heard her in the hallway again and she stopped at the girls’ room.  I set four plates out on the kitchen table and called out that dinner was ready.

The girls wandered out, Vanessa behind them.  Their faces were a little wet, and you could tell they’d been crying.  I hated seeing them like this.  I really didn’t like spanking them, but it was my job.  When they messed up, they needed a reminder they were expected to behave.  Playing the matches crossed the line in a major way.

The meal began quietly, the girls not in a mood to chat, understandably.  As the meal continued, we all chatted a little bit.  They were timid with me.  Since I had cooked, Vanessa said she’d do the dishes.  As she began to clear the plates away, I turned in my chair as the girls both got up to go to their room again.

“Sofia,” I called my daughter.  She looked at me, frightened.  “C’mere, sweetheart.”

She approached me a little timidly and I gave her a little smile to let her know she wasn’t in trouble.  When she reached me, I pulled her into a hug and kissed her hair.  Sofia was much more sensitive than her sister.  She took any criticism to heart.  I needed her to know I wasn’t mad at her.  I still loved her very much.

“You know I still love you, right?” I asked her quietly.  She nodded into my shoulder.  I pulled back and looked her in the face.

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she told me, and I knew she meant it.

“I know,” I told her.  “I just don’t want you getting hurt.  Do you understand?”

She nodded and rubbed her eyes.

“Good girl,” I told her, kissing her forehead.  “Go to your room and I’ll be in to say goodnight.”

An hour or so later, it was time for the girls to go to bed.  I’d heard them up and about, changing into their PJ’s and brushing their teeth.  I walked back to their room, opening the door.  I went to Sofia first.

She smiled up at me as I sat on the edge of her bed.

“Love you sweetheart,” I told her as I leaned down to hug her.  Her little arms clasped around my neck as I kissed her cheek.  “Have a good night sleep.”

I pulled her covers up a little bit and gave her a wink.  I then went to her sister’s bed across the room.  Her back was turned to me and I could tell she was still mad about getting spanked.  She was one to hold a grudge.  I sat on her bed and gently rubbed her arm.

“Sweetheart?” I asked gently.

“What?” she asked, grumbling.

“I can tell you’re still upset,” I said.  “It’s okay to be mad.  But I had to spank you because what you did was very dangerous.”

“I know,” she moaned, curling up more.  I didn’t want her going to bed mad so I gently turned her on her back.  Her eyebrows her knitted as she looked up at me.

“I love you, kiddo,” I told her, rubbing her belly a couple times.

She sighed.  “I love you too,” she admitted.  I smirked a little as I leaned down to kiss her forehead.

“Sleep tight, Em,” I told her, standing up.  I walked to the door and looked back at my two little girls.  My two amazing girls.  They were loving, and spunky, and sweet, and sometimes mischievous, like all little girls.  I loved being their father.  I turned off the light and closed the door, looking forward to seeing them in the morning.


	5. Fire Alarm

I was working on my laptop at home, caught up in what I was doing.  I’d probably been working for hours without stopping when the phone rang, jarring me out of my thoughts.  I looked at the caller ID and saw it was the kids’ school.  I picked up immediately.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Mr. Miranda?” I could hear the voice of the principal on the other end.  Great.  I had an inkling I knew who he was calling about.  My little firecracker, Emilia.

“Yes,” I said.  “Is everything alright?”

“I have Emilia in here with me,” he explained, and I wasn’t surprised.  “We just had a surprise fire drill.  When we checked the cameras, we found that Emilia pulled the fire alarm.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose with my fingers.  Emilia was constantly doing things without thinking them through.  She acted on her impulses and that got her in trouble.

“I’m really sorry,” I told him.  “She knows better.”

“Yes, she does,” he agreed.  “Unfortunately I have to suspend her for a day for tampering with the fire equipment.  Are you able to come get her?”

“Yes, sir,” I told him.  “I’ll be right in.”  


I abandoned what I’d been working on and grabbed my jacket.  After heading down the stairs of the apartment building, I hopped on the subway and rode it to the kids’ school.  I found the office, where Emilia was sitting outside the principal’s office now, looking bored.  She was slouching with her arms crossed.

“Emilia,” I called her.  I picked up the pen at the counter and signed my daughter out for the rest of the day.  Emilia reluctantly stood up and walked over to me.  The principal walked out and we had a short chat about the situation.  I made Emilia apologize for the disruption.

Emilia followed me outside and down the steps.  I wordlessly walked to the subway with her trailing behind me by a couple paces.  Hopefully she could tell I was angry with her.  We rode home without speaking.  When we got home, I lit into her.

“Go sit on the couch,” I told her, my voice firm as I set the keys on the counter.  Emilia rolled her eyes and groaned, like this was asking her too much.  “Don’t roll your eyes at me.”

She walked over and plopped herself onto the couch, slouching and crossing her arms.  That wasn’t going to fly.  “Sit up,” I ordered her.  She complied reluctantly.

“Fire alarms are not toys, Emilia Luz,” I began.  “What were you thinking?”

She shrugged.  “I wanted to see if it worked.”

“Well, it worked,” I assured her, crossing my arms.  “And you disrupted the entire school and probably scared some people.  Did you know adults can go to prison for doing that?  For tampering with fire alarms?”

“No,” she said.

“Luckily you’re only getting suspended for one day,” I said.  “But don’t think you’re going to be getting a vacation.  You’re going to be doing school work or chores the entire day.  I’m going to have to rearrange my schedule because of your foolishness.”

If I had been speaking to her twin sister, Sofia, this way, she would be in tears and highly apologetic.  Sofia hated being in trouble, but her sister was much different.  Emilia seemed to take everything in stride.  She had to know she was getting spanked, but I was annoyed with her callousness.  I decided to take it up a notch to get through to her.

“Go get the paddle from my room,” I told her.  Her eyes shot up at me and her mouth dropped open.

“The paddle?” she checked.

“You heard me,” I told her.  “This is major, and I don’t like that you don’t seem to be taking it seriously.  Go.  Now.”

She at least knew better not to argue with me more.  She stood up, sighing, and walked down the hall to my bedroom.  The paddle was kept on a hook inside our walk-in closet.  I walked to her bedroom and waited outside, my arms crossed.  She slowly made her way down the hallway, her eyebrows knitted.  I held out my hand for her to hand over the paddle.

Even though we were the only two home, I shut the door behind us.  I was done with the lecturing part, so I just told her to bend over her bed.  It wasn’t made, of course.  Reluctantly, she rested her upper body on her blanket and immediately covered her bottom with her hands.  I easily gripped both her wrists in my left hand and pinned them to her lower back.  I pressed down a bit to stop her from squirming.

Without any more hesitation, I brought the paddle down hard on her little bottom.  She didn’t let out a sound but her body jerked a little bit.  I brought the paddle back and spanked her hard again, then again.  By the third swat, she couldn’t hold in her tears anymore.  She began to sob as the paddle met her bottom again and again.  Emilia was only 8, so I didn’t need to spank her much with the paddle to make her butt really sting.  I stopped at six, then released her hands.  She let her knees sink the floor as she cried hard.

She wouldn’t have been able to hear anything I said over her bawling, so I just left the room.  I hung up the paddle on the hook, hoping I wouldn’t have to use it again.  Most of the time, it was for Emilia.  She was the family trouble maker.

She cried for a good ten minutes.  The sound broke my heart, but as her father it was my job to teach her what’s wrong and right.  She couldn’t be pulling fire alarms.

I left her be for a good half hour before going to check on her.  She was laying on her stomach, coloring quietly as she sniffled a bit.  I walked over and looked down at what she was coloring.

“You’re doing a nice job,” I told her and she sighed.  I sat down on the edge of her bed and gently rubbed her back.  “Em, do you understand what you did was wrong?”

“Yes,” she said, her voice not overly friendly.

“Good,” I told her.  “You can’t be messing with things like that.  It’s dangerous and it’s not for games.”

I looked at my watch.  It was about 1:30.  School went until 3:00. 

“I’ll go get your backpack and you can start on homework,” I told her.  I brought her backpack in and unzipped it.  I found her student planner and opened it to today.  Her teacher was pretty insistent about the kids keeping it updated.  I saw that she had math and reading homework.

“I’ll be back to check on you in a bit.”

Emilia was pretty well behaved for the rest of the day.  After dinner that night, it was bath time.  They were still too young to run their own baths, so I went in to start one for Emilia first.  Sofia would go second.  I turned on the hot and cold water until it felt like a decent temperature.  Emilia walked in with her pajamas and set them on the floor.

“Bubbles?” I asked and she nodded as she sat on the toilet.  After she’d finished, she stood up to flush and I caught a glimpse of her bottom.  It was still a little pink from the paddling earlier.  I felt a little bad about that.  I’d spanked her hard, but she needed it.

I helped her peel off her shirt and then step into tub.  When her bottom touched the water, she winced a little.

“Owww,” she said as she eased into.

“You okay?” I asked and she nodded.

“How about we get an ice pack after you’re done,” I suggested.  “That might help.”

She nodded and I left her to take her bath.  Oddly, Sofia was having a bit of an off night.  She was fighting her homework for whatever reason.  She was still at the table doing her math homework.  Vanessa was doing her best to help.

“Take a breath and try again,” she suggested gently.  Sofia crossed her arms on the table and rested her head on them, letting out a growl.  Vanessa sighed and walked away, shaking her head at me.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into her tonight,” she told me as she got out a bottle of wine.  It had been a trying day.  We talked quietly for a few moments before Sofia suddenly ripped up her math paper and threw her pencil across the room.

“Sofia!” I chided her.

“I hate math!” she yelled, resting her head on her arms again.

“That’s not how we express our anger,” I told her, walking over.  “Go pick up the pieces and your pencil.”

“No!” she told me, which was very unusual for her.  I put my hands on my hips and gave her a don’t-mess-with-me look.  Vanessa walked over and put a hand on her shoulder.  She shocked us both when she pushed Vanessa away, hard.  That was it.

I gripped Sofia’s upper arm and pulled her to standing quickly.  I landed three hard, fast swats to her bottom and she immediately started crying.

“You do not push your mother,” I told her sternly.  “Now go pick up your paper and pencil.”

“No!” She screamed, more frustrated than ever.  She glared at me, crossing her arms.  I couldn’t believe she was pushing me like this.  If she thought for one second that she was in charge, she was about to get a rude awakening.  I did not tolerate disrespect or disobedience.

I again gripped her upper arm and this time I marched her to the bedroom she shared with her twin sister.  She fought me on the way there, knowing she was in for a major spanking.  I easily pulled her along, flung open the door, then closed it behind us.  I pulled out the desk chair and sat down, then pulled her onto my lap.

She squirmed and I started spanking her little bottom.  Almost immediately, she went limp on my lap as I swatted her.  I probably spanked her a good six or seven times before I decided she’d had enough.  I stood her up and then guided her to lay down on her bed.

“Stay in here for the rest of the night,” I barked at her.  “When your sister’s done with her bath, you can take a quick shower.”

She cried as I left the room, shutting the door roughly behind me.  Emilia had since gotten out of the bathroom and was in the kitchen with Vanessa.  She was getting an ice pack out of the freezer.  Vanessa spoke to her gently and guided her to lay down on her tummy on the couch.  She propped her head on a couch pillow as Vanessa set the pack on her little bottom.

I paced the kitchen a bit, frustrated with the twins.  For some reason, they’d both picked the same day to test my patience.  I’d probably spanked Sofia more than she needed because I was angry.  Still, the kid had crossed the line.  Maybe it would thwart future behavior.  Vanessa walked over and rubbed her hand up and down my chest to calm me down.

“Go take a break in our bedroom,” she told me, telling I was frustrated.  I nodded and walked down the hallway, past the sounds of Sofia crying.  I was so thankful to have my wife as my partner.  When one of us were at our edge, the other stepped in.  She took care of bedtime for the girls that night.

A while later, Vanessa joined me in bed.  I laid in my boxers and t-shirt, reading a book.  She laid down on her side next to me and started rubbing my chest.

“You better now?” she asked gently.  I set my book on the bedside table and sighed.

“Yeah,” I scrubbed a hand over my face.  “They really tested my patience today.  Thanks for stepping in.”

“Of course,” she said, still stroking my chest lovingly.  “They usually don’t both go crazy on the same day.”

“No,” I agreed.  “I hadn’t had to use the paddle on Em in quite a while.”

“Have you ever used it on Sofia?”

“No,” I told her.  “Not yet.”

Sofia was usually our even-tempered child.  She was sweet and docile most of the time and rarely gave us any trouble.  Every now and then, she would boil over and get really angry and disrespectful like tonight.

Vanessa leaned over and captured my lips in a sweet kiss.  I gently cupped her face in my hand as I returned it sweetly.  We kissed deeply for several long moments before Vanessa broke apart and let her forehead rest on mine.

“Tomorrow’s another day,” she reminded me, and I nodded.

I always worried that the kids might hold a grudge against me the next morning.  Sometimes Emilia did, but both girls were surprisingly cheery that morning.  Sofia found the pieces of her math worksheet on the floor and carefully taped then together, then completed it as she ate her cereal.

“Good girl, Sofia,” I praised her as I leaned against the counter with my second cup of coffee.  She smiled at the compliment as she moved on to the last line.  Mornings were always a whirlwind of activity as the older boys moved around the kitchen grabbing a quick breakfast bar and the girl ate their cereal.

As the girls got ready to head out the door with Vanessa, Sofia walked over to me and wrapped her arms around my waist, giving me a big hug.  I set my coffee mug down and reached my arms around her, patting her back.

“Love you, Daddy,” she told me. 

“I love you too,” I said, planting a kiss to the top of her head.  Emilia gave me a warm hug as well.  As Vanessa called the girls to the door I called out that I loved them both again, and they were on their way out into the world.


	6. Behavior Report

Cam ran through the door of our apartment and tossed her backpack on the counter as usual, then went to the pantry to get a snack.  I was doing some dishes at the sink and greeted her.

“Hi sweetheart,” I called to her over the sound of the running water.  “How was school?”

“Fine,” she said as she ran off towards the TV to watch a show.  The rule was that she could watch one show after school, then she either had to go play or start her homework.  Cam was in first grade and smart as a whip.  The only thing that held her back a little was her dyslexia.  It made reading harder for her, so I tried my best to work with her at home on it.

After I’d finished the dishes I wiped my hands and opened up Cam’s backpack to see if there was anything I needed to see or sign.  It was a mess as usual.  I pulled out a couple worksheets and a drawing she’d done in art class.  I called out a compliment and stuck it on the fridge.  I kept digging around for her student planner, where her teacher regularly wrote notes and reported on her behavior.

My kid was a pretty good kid, but every once in a while she got a bit of an attitude.  It could get her in trouble at school sometimes, and also at home with me.  Her teacher used a color system for behavior.  Purple and blue were awesome behavior; green was good; yellow and red were poor.  If she ever came home with a yellow or red, she got a consequence.  It depended on what had happened as to what her punishment was.  Sometimes, she got sent to her room or got TV taken away for the day.  A couple times I’d spanked her when it had been severe enough.

Today, though, I didn’t find her planner, where her daily report was given.

“Cam?” I called to her.  “Where’s your planner?”

“Uh…” she paused.  “I guess I forgot it at school.”

“You did?” I asked, stuffing a couple folders back inside.

“Uh-huh,” she told me, keeping her eyes on the screen.  I was a little suspicious.  She’d never forgotten it before.

“You didn’t leave it on purpose did you?”

No response.  I walked over, furrowing my eyebrows. 

“Cam?”

“Huh?” she asked as I sat next to her.

“I asked you a question.  You didn’t leave it at school on purpose did you?”

“No,” she looked away, and I could instantly tell she was lying.

“Are you lying to me right now?” I asked her.  She still avoided my eyes, so I gently turned her face towards me with my finger.  “Tell me the truth.”

“I forgot, Daddy,” she stuck to her story.

“So, if I call Mrs. Reynolds right now and ask her how you did today, she’d tell me you were on green or better?”

“Yeah,” she said a little nervously.

“Because that’s what I’m gonna do,” I told her, getting out my cell phone.  “Do you want to change your answer?”  


“No,” she said, but she looked like she had just seen a ghost.

“If she tells me otherwise, you know what’s gonna happen, don’t you?”

She nodded, scratching her head.  I sighed and pulled up her teacher’s number in my contacts.  Her teacher was very good about communicating with me.  Cam was quick – she managed to dart around me and off to her bedroom.  I sighed, knowing what I was going to find out.

I chatted with Mrs. Reynolds for a few minutes and found out she’d ended the day on red – the worst color she could be on.  She’d pushed one of her classmates and called her names, then refused to cooperate when she was put in time-out.  I thanked Mrs. Reynolds and told her I’d be having a chat with her at home.  Unfortunately for Cam, she’d also be getting her butt spanked.

I walked down the hall and knocked on her door.

“What?” she asked.  I raised my eyebrows and pushed the door open.

“Excuse me?” I asked.  “You can use better manners than that.”

Cam was playing with some toys on the floor.  I stood over her, my arms crossed.  “I just got off the phone with Mrs. Reynolds.  Do you know what she told me?”

“No…”  


“I think you do,” I countered.  “Camila, why would you lie to me when I told you I was about to call your teacher?  Did you think she wasn’t going to tell me you were on red today?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged.

“That wasn’t a very wise thing to do,” I told her, pulling out her desk chair.  “C’mere.”

I patted my leg and she came to sit on my lap.  “I don’t like it when you lie to me,” I told her gently.  “It makes me think I can’t trust you or believe what you say.  So I’m gonna ask you again.  Camila, what color were you on today?”

She sighed and looked down.  “Red.”

“And why were you on red?”

She proceeded to give me a long-winded explanation of the whole incident involving her classmate, trying to downplay her misbehavior.  If she thought I was going to fall for that, she had something else coming.

“Thank you for telling me,” I told her.  “But now we have to deal with the fact that you lied to me as well.  You know I don’t tolerate lying.”

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she told me sadly, playing with the string on my hoodie.

“I’m glad, but you still need to be punished,” I told her, moving my legs so she came to standing.  “You know what happens when you lie.”

“But, Daddy-“

“Uh-uh,” I stopped her, turning her body so she was looking at me.  “I gave you the chance to come clean and you chose to lie to me, so now you’re getting spanked.”

I guided her to the right of my legs as she whimpered and begged.  I tugged at her arm and guided her to lay down on my lap.  I adjusted her a little bit and held her right arm to her side.  She was already crying before I landed the first hard swat to her little bottom.

“Owwwww!!!” she complained, her body jerking.  Even though she was only six, I didn’t go easy on her.  I spanked my daughter’s bottom hard as she cried harder and squirmed around on my lap.  The loud swats echoed in the room each time I spanked.

After five good swats, I gently guided her to stand up, then walked her to her bed.

“Stay in here until dinner,” I told her as she laid down on her tummy to cry.  I closed the door behind me.  As a single father, I handled everything.  Bath time, dinner, playing, and, of course, discipline.  I didn’t want Cam growing up thinking she could lie or treat other people badly.  She was a pretty good kid, overall, but she earned her fair share of trips over my knee.

I busied myself cooking dinner and Cam stayed in her room as she was told.  When it was ready, I set the table and then went to Cam’s room to get her.  She was laying on her bed, just thinking.  I walked over and sat next to her, rubbing her back.

“Dinner’s ready, sweetheart,” I told her gently.  She turned her head away from me.  I rubbed her bottom gently a couple times, leaning down to kiss her head.

“Are you still upset?” I asked.  She nodded.  I carefully scooped her body up and brought her to sit in my lap, wrapping my arms around her.  I planted several kissed to her face and forehead.

“You know one of my jobs as your daddy is to punish you when you misbehave,” I reminded her gently.  “I don’t like doing it, but you’ve gotta learn right from wrong.  You can’t misbehave at school and then lie to me.  You understand?”

She nodded, resting her head on my chest.  I gently raked my fingers through her dark brown hair.  It was important that she knew I still loved her with all my heart, even when I had to spank her.

“Good.  I love you,” I reminded her, kissing her head again.  “Now, let’s go eat dinner.  I made spaghetti and meatballs.”

She smiled at that and I guided her off my lap so she could stand.  I took her hand as we walked out to the kitchen to enjoy our dinner.  Father and daughter.


	7. Abuela and Abuelo's

I knocked on my parents’ front door, then put my hands back in my pockets.  I’d already dropped Pippa back off at home because she’d been pretty tired.  She was very pregnant with our twins and being on her feet all night had taken it out of her.  Dad answered the door a few moments later and gave me a small smile.  He knew I wouldn’t be happy. Not when my kid had been giving him problems.

“Hey, Dad,” I said, coming in.  “Sorry Cam was giving you a hard time.”

“Hey, it happens,” he told me as I stopped at the couch.  Molly was asleep on the couch.  She must have fallen asleep watching Moana.

“Is she in the guest room?” I asked him.

“Yep,” he said.  “I’ll get their stuff.”

“Thanks,” I told him.  I walked down the hallway to the guest room, where the girls stayed if they slept over.  That hadn’t been the plan tonight, but Dad had to send Cam to her room for the evening because of her behavior.  I was not happy with my ten year old daughter.  I knocked and pushed the door open.  Cam was laying on the bed, reading a book.

“Let’s go, young lady,” I told her, not in a friendly tone.  She was smart enough that she knew she was in trouble with me.  She’d copped an attitude with her Abuelo and had been mean to her stepsister.  She was refusing to do what her grandparents were asking her.  When she got into a mood, it was hard to break her from it.

She sighed and sat up, still reading.  She reached for a bookmark, then tucked it into her backpack.

“Before we leave, you need to apologize to Abuelo,” I told her as she walked to the door.  “And we’ll be having a chat when we get home.”  


She sighed but didn’t argue.  She walked reluctantly out to the living room, where my dad had Molly’s backpack ready.

“Cam,” I prompted my daughter as I walked over to the couch to get Molly.

“Sorry for being bad, Abuelo,” she told my father softly, looking down at her face.

“Eye contact,” I reminded her as I gently picked Molly up.

She looked up at her grandfather and repeated the phrase.  He thanked her for apologizing and ran his hand through his hair.  I walked over with Molly in my arms, her head resting on my shoulder.

“Cam, can you carry Molly’s backpack please?” I requested.  She nodded and took it from my dad, then we were out the door.  We walked outside and I hailed a cab.  I didn’t bother buckling my seatbelt because it wasn’t far, and I had a sleeping seven year old in my lap.  Cam looked out the window as we rode.

After I’d paid the cabbie, we took the elevator up to the apartment and I locked the door behind us.

“Cam, go get ready for bed,” I told her.  “I’m gonna put Molly down.”

I took Molly to her bedroom.  She was in jeans and a t-shirt.  I wasn’t going to wake her to change, so I laid her down and carefully shimmied off her jeans and socks.  Then, I tucked her in and closed the door.  I went to Cam’s room, where she was in her pajamas and had already dug back into her book.  I shut the door and pulled out the desk chair.

“I’m not happy that I got texts from Abuelo tonight about your behavior,” I told her as she set her book aside.

“I know,” she said quietly.

“We’ve talked about this,” I continued.  “If Molly’s annoying you, you don’t get to be mean to her.  You walk away.  Why didn’t you do that?”

“Because I wanted to be with Abuelo and she was there,” she told me.

“And you could have had a very pleasant evening,” I told her.  “But when Abuelo asked you to stop, you didn’t, did you?  And you started getting an attitude?”

She nodded, biting her lip.  She knew I didn’t tolerate her attitude.

“And when Abuelo sent you to your room, you refused?”

She shrugged.

“It’s a yes or no answer,” I told her.

“Yes,” she almost whispered. 

“You don’t say no to Abuelo,” I reminded her.  “Or to me, or any adult who gives you a direction.  I’m really disappointed, Camila.”

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she told me.

“Good,” I told her.  “Now, Molly and Pippa are already asleep so I’m not going to spank you tonight.  Tomorrow morning, though, you can expect one.  Understand?”

She knitted her eyebrows at me, her hands tucked under her thighs.

I sighed and stood up.

“Alright, under the covers,” I told her pulling her sheets back.  She sighed and laid on her side as I pulled them up to her shoulder.  “I love you.  Good night.”

I turned off the lights and closed the door behind me.  She definitely had earned a spanking, but if I punished her tonight, it would wake up her sister and Pippa.  They needed their rest.  I quickly changed and climbed into bed behind Pippa.  She stirred a little as I spooned up behind her.

The next morning, Molly was up relatively early, as usual.  I made coffee as Pippa hopped into the shower.  Molly put on cartoons and ate some Lucky Charms, giggling at the show she was watching.  I scrolled through my phone and ate some cereal myself.  When Pippa came out, she gave me a kiss and thanked me for making the coffee.

We all relaxed on the couch for a while.  I wondered when Cam would make an appearance.  With the promise of getting spanked as soon as she woke up, I doubted she’d be up early.  Finally, around 9:30, she needed to use the restroom.  She wandered out a few minutes later in her pajamas and made herself some cereal.

“Morning, sweetheart,” I called to her from the couch.

“Morning,” she mumbled, taking her bowl to the kitchen table.  I let her eat in peace as I cuddled with Pippa, letting my hand rub her pregnant belly.  About ten minutes later, I heard Cam get up and take her bowl to the kitchen.  I kissed Pippa’s shoulder.

“I need to go punish Cam for last night,” I told her softly.  “I’ll be back in a few.”

She nodded as I got up and walked to the kitchen.

“Go to your room,” I told Cam softly as I set down my coffee mug.  “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Cam bit her lip and nodded.  She was probably hoping I would forget, but I didn’t forget things like this.  I didn’t tolerate her acting up, especially when her grandparents were watching her.  I cleaned up in the kitchen for a minute before walking back to Cam’s bedroom.  She was making her bed.

“Alright, Cam,” I said, closing the door.  “Do you understand why I have to spank you?”

“Mmmhmmm,” she said quietly.

“Why?”

“Because I was disrespectful to Abuelo and I didn’t listen,” she said quietly.

“That’s right,” I said, sitting down on the chair and pushing up my sleeves.  “There’s no excuse for that.  I expect better out of you.”

I took hold of her wrist and gently tugged her towards me.  She didn’t come willingly, but she didn’t fight.  I stood her to the right of my legs.

“Bend over,” I instructed her.  She reluctantly did as I asked.  I gripped her right side with my left hand as I adjusted her on my lap.  Without any more hesitation, I swatted her bottom hard with my right hand.

“Owwww!!” she immediately complained, twitching a little.  I spanked her twice more and she fidgeted more in my lap and started crying.  Then, she reached her hand back to shield her bottom.

“Cam, move your hand,” I told her firmly.  She cried and whimpered but didn’t budge.  I tucked her arm behind her, and pinned it to her lower back, then landed two final hard swats on her butt.

She was crying hard now and I hoped my reminder would stick with her the next time she thought of arguing with her grandfather.  I gently guided her to stand up, then lay down on her bed so she could cry it out.  I’d spanked her hard, so she would take a while to calm down.  I left the room and walked back to my bedroom to take a quick shower.

After I’d finished, I walked down the hallway.  I didn’t hear any more crying coming from Cam’s room, so she was probably getting herself together.  I fixed myself another cup of coffee and joined Pippa on the couch.

“Everything okay?” she asked me.

“Yeah,” I told her.  “Cam will be out in a while once she’s calmed down.”

Pippa nodded and rested her head against my shoulder as we watched cartoons with Molly.  She was allowed to watch one hour a day, even on the weekends.  Fifteen minutes later, Cam came out, still dressed in her pajamas.  She walked to the single couch and curled up, looking sad.

After Molly’s hour was up, Molly told her to go get changed so we could get our day started.  I stood up and walked over to where Cam was sitting.  I knelt in front of her and gently rubbed her arm.

“You okay?” I asked gently, looking at her in the face.  She nodded and rubbed at her eyes.  “Why don’t you get dressed and we’ll all go to the park.”

She nodded again and I began to stand up but she reached her arms out and wrapped them around my neck.  I let my knees hit the floor gently and I leaned down into the hug.  She was an affectionate kid and needed reminders that she was loved.  She held onto me for a long while and I just hugged her quietly.

After a couple minutes, I kissed her temple.  “I love you, kiddo.”

I pulled back and kissed her forehead a couple times, then held out my hand.  “Come on, sweetheart,” I told her.  She smiled and took my hand, and I walked her to her bedroom.  I was glad I had my happy, sweet Cam back, and looked forward to a great day with my family.

___

A month or so later, my parents were watching Cam and Molly again.  When I arrived at my parents’ apartment, they were relaxing on the couch.  The girls were likely already in bed.

“How’d it go?” I asked them, yawning.

“Molly was great,” my mother said.  “Cam, not so much.”

I sighed in disappointment.  “What happened?”

“She refused to do the dishes, then she was talking back to us.  I already gave her the chancla.”

I put my hands on my hips and nodded.  Even if she’d already been spanked with a slipper by my mother, she’d still be getting it from me.

“Is she still awake?”

“I think so,” my dad told me. I strode down the hallway and opened the guest room, where Molly and Cam both slept when they stayed here.  They were both in bed, watching the little TV in the room.

“Molly, can you go to the living room please?” I asked her.  Molly nodded and looked at her step-sister nervously, knowing she was in trouble.  The door closed behind her.  Cam sat up.

“One month ago, we had this problem,” I began.  “You got in trouble at Abuela and Abuelo’s and I spanked you for it.  Remember?”  


She nodded nervously, pulling her knees into her chest.  “Abuela said you refused to do a chore, and then you were talking back?” I asked, exasperated.  I’d taught my child way better.  I’d raised her to be respectful of adults, especially her grandparents.

“Why?” I demanded.

She shrugged, looking nervous.  “I just didn’t wanna do the dishes.  They were telling me what to do.”

“They’re your grandparents.  They have every right to,” I reminded her.  “They cooked you a nice dinner.  The least you could do was help with the dishes.  Then you talked back?  Camila, that’s unacceptable.”

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly.

“Bend over the bed,” I told her.  Her eyes met mine, surprised.

“But Daddy, Abuela already gave me the chancla.”

“I’m glad she did,” I told her, walking over to her side of the bed.  “But I’m punishing you too.  I’m not gonna tolerate you misbehaving like this for your grandparents for a _second_ time..”

She sat there, not really out of defiance, but out of surprise.  I gripped her arm to pull her to standing, then guided her body to lay over the edge of the bed.  She protested and squirmed a little, but I easily positioned her.  I started spanking her bottom soundly, hopefully delivering a firm message that I wasn’t going to tolerate this kind of behavior.

“Ah-hah-hhowww!!” she complained as I spanked her hard.  Her body jerked to the sides, so I pressed down on her back a little to hold her in place.  I swatted her butt about ten times before finally releasing her.  I gripped her under the arms and pulled her up to standing as she rubbed at her bottom.

“Look at me,” I told her, and she complied, crying.  “You’re going to apologize to your grandparents, and you have dishwashing duty at home for a week.  Understood?”

“Yes, Daddy,” she managed.  I put my hand on her shoulder and steered her towards the door.  We walked out to the living room together, where they were talking with Molly.  They looked up as we walked in.  I’m sure they heard the swats from here, and Cam’s crying.  My daughter rubbed at her eyes as I led her to stand in front of her grandparents.

“Cam has something to say,” I announced, prompting my daughter.

She sniffled.  “I’m s-sorry for being disrespectful and not doing what you asked,” she told them sorrowfully.

“Thank you,” my mother told her.  “And don’t think I’ll hesitate to give you the chancla again.”  


My mother didn’t play around.  I knew the girls were made to behave while they were here, or face the consequences.

“Alright, let’s go,” I told my daughters.  Molly stood up and found her shoes, along with Cam.  It was a quiet walk home, Cam keeping her distance from us. 

About ten minutes later, we arrived at hour house and I tossed the keys and my wallet on the counter.

“Cam, straight to bed,” I told my ten-year-old.  She didn’t argue with me, heading straight to her room.  She knew she’d messed up.

“Lin, can I watch TV?” Molly asked me as I went to the fridge for a drink.

“One show,” I told her, grabbing a beer.  Hopefully this would help me relax a little more.  I sat in the living room with Molly, calming myself down a bit.  When the credits came on, I told Molly to turn off the TV and head to bed.  She complied, sensing I wasn’t in any mood for an argument.  I tipped back the last of my beer and then wandered down the hallway.  Cam’s light was still on.

I knocked lightly and then pushed the door open.  Cam was laying on her tummy, her face buried in her pillow.  Even though I was upset with her, I hated to see my daughter crying.  I crossed the room and sat on the edge of her bed.

“Have you brushed your teeth?” I asked her.  She sniffled and nodded.  I got a glimpse of her face, still slightly red and tear-stained.

“Good,” I said softly, stroking her hair a little.  “I’m sorry I had to spank you tonight, but you know I’m not gonna put up with you acting up for Abuela and Abuelo, right?”

She just nodded and pressed her forehead back into the pillow.  I gently rubbed at her back a little.

“Want me to tuck you in?” I offered.  She pushed herself up and hopped off for a moment so I could pull back her covers.  My daughter climbed in and laid back down on her tummy, then I pulled the sheets up.  I leaned down to press a kiss to her head.

“I love you,” I reminded her.  “Tomorrow’s another day.”


	8. Phone Bill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lin gets the phone bill and finds, for the third time, that Cam has racked up major charges.

I was consolidating the two boxes of pizza into one after dinner Friday night.  Cam had one of her friends from school over – Cora.  They were giggling as they raced down the hall to her room to play games and hang out.  I cleaned up the kitchen as Pippa wiped down the table and Molly took up residence on the couch.  It was a typical Friday night at the Miranda household.

There was a huge stack of mail on the counter and I decided I needed to dig into it.  Most of them were bills.  I opened a few and then reached for the cell phone bill.  The balance due was more than I was used to, so I scanned the charges.  This had happened a couple times – Cam had called some One Direction hotline without my permission and racked up almost $50 in extra charges.  I’d spoken to her about it twice.  Last time, she was grounded for the weekend.  Sure enough, there was a $24.99 charge for the hotline.  I sighed and torqued my jaw, then walked down the hallway to my daughter’s bedroom.

I knocked politely and was told to come in.  They were laughing and looking through Cam’s nail polish collection.

“Cora, can you go hang out in the living room for a minute please?” I asked her friend.  Cam’s face immediately dropped, knowing I wanted to talk to her in private.  Cora glanced at her friend, then at me and agreed.  I gave her a reassuring smile and closed the door after she’d left.

“I just opened the phone bill,” I said, turning it around.  “Anything you want to tell me?”

I gave her the chance to come clean.  She avoided my eyes, her hands tucked up under her feet.  She didn’t answer.

“Camila,” my tone was firm.  “There’s a charge for $24.99 on here.  Know what it’s for?”

I wanted her to admit it, but she didn’t want to.

“I asked you a question, Camila Luz, and I expect an answer.”

“One Direction,” she said softly.

“Hmmm??”

“One Direction,” she said a little more loudly.  I could tell she was nervous, and she should be.

“There’s been a charge for this hotline on two other phone bills.  First time, I gave you a warning.  Second time, I grounded you.  Do you remember?”

“Yes, sir,” she said quietly.

“So why is there another charge on here?”

“Did you ask Molly?” she asked me, chancing a look at me.

“It wasn’t Molly,” I told her.  “She has no interest in One Direction.  When did you call?”

“A couple weeks ago,” she said.

“And did you not think I would find out?” I asked her.  “That the phone bill wouldn’t come?”

She frowned and started to tear up, knowing she was in big trouble.  This was the third time she’d disobeyed me about the same thing, and it wasn’t something I took lightly.

“I’m so disappointed in you, Cam,” I told her, setting the bill down on her desk.  “We’ve talked about this twice now.  You’ve been very untrustworthy and irresponsible.  What do you think we should do?”

“I have to pay for it?” she guessed quietly.

“Definitely,” I told her.  “It’s coming straight out of your allowance.” 

She got $10 a week, so it would take three weeks to pay it off.

“I think this is a little more serious than just paying the money back,” I told her.  “I grounded you last night and apparently it didn’t work.  So now I’m gonna have to spank you.”  


“Daddy!” she instantly protested, her eyes pleading.  “I don’t need to get spanked.”

“I disagree,” I told her, stepping towards her.  “This is the third time.”  


“But Cora’s here!” she told me.

“She’s hanging out with Molly in the living room,” I told her.  “You can calm down and then go join them.”

I reached down and gripped her upper arm to pull her to standing.  She started to cry, knowing a spanking was inevitable.  Instinctively, she covered her bottom with her free hand.

“Cam, move your hand,” I told her.  She kept it there for a few moments as she cried more, then finally moved it.  I repositioned her a little and then brought my hand down on hard on her bottom.  Her hips jerked forward in reaction and she let out a gasp.  I tightened my grip on her arm a little and delivered four more hard swats to her butt in quick succession.  I guided her to her bed so she could lay down.  She cried hard and started rubbing her bottom, trying to stop the stinging.

“Come out when you’ve calmed down,” I told her gently.  I opened the door and closed it behind me, then walked out to the kitchen to get myself a drink.  Molly and Cora looked at me, eyes wide, as I walked in.  I’m sure they heard the spanking and Cam’s crying.

Pippa walked over and rubbed my chest as I popped open a beer.  “What happened?”

“She called that hotline again,” I said, then took a swig.  She let out a disappointed sigh.

“Was that the third time?” she asked.

“Yep,” I said.  “She didn’t learn from getting grounded so I spanked her.  She has to pay it back too.”

“Hopefully this time the message got through,” she said as she found a bottle of wine.  “Girls, do you want popcorn?”

“Yes, please,” they answered politely.  I could tell they were uncomfortable.  It was unfortunate that we had company at the time, but I wasn’t going to hold back on punishing my daughter when she needed it.  I’m sure Cam was probably embarrassed, but that was part of the punishment.

We sat down with the girls to watch a movie and eat popcorn.  About twenty minutes later, Cam came out, having calmed down.  She sat down with Pippa, curling up beside her.  Cam rested her head on her shoulder and ate some of her popcorn.  I stole a glance at her.  Her face was still a little red, but she seemed okay.  After a while, she’d be completely fine and back to playing with her friend.  The movie was a good distraction.  Hopefully, Cam would remember how badly her butt stang next time she thought about calling that number.

When Pippa and I were heading to bed later, Cam and Cora were back in her room playing Uno with music playing quietly.  Cam was smiling again.  I knocked on her door again and she looked up at me, worried.  I gave her a little smile to assure her she wasn’t in trouble.

“Pip and I are going to bed,” I told her.  “Keep it down, okay?”

“Okay,” she said quietly. 

I leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and I felt her arms go around my neck.  Cam knew I loved her, even when I had to resort to spanking her.  We had a good relationship.  Sometimes she just needed a reminder of who was in charge and that rules had to be followed. 

I gave my daughter a wink as I walked back to the door and she smiled.


	9. Babysitting Trouble Part 2

_A/N: I know the siblings don't match up with other chapters; just go with it._

Vanessa had reminded me multiple times not to forget to tuck the tickets into my jacket, but of course I’d forgotten.  I’d gotten distracted by the hectic atmosphere of trying to get three kids ready for the babysitter to come over, as well as get my own self ready.  Not just ready, but in a suit.

Vanessa rolled her eyes at me when we arrived at the theatre.  Luckily we were early, so I hailed a cab and went back to our apartment in Washington Heights, where our three children had been left in the care of a teenage babysitter, Courtney.

The twins were six now, and full of energy as ever.  Sofia was sweet and full of laughter.  Emilia was strong-willed and hilarious.  Our youngest, Sebastian, was three.  The poor little guy had two older sisters to contend with.

I put my key in the lock and opened it, sighing heavily.

“I forgot the tickets, if you can believe it,” I announced, sensing another body in the room.  When there was no response, I looked up and saw Courtney sitting on the couch, crying softly.  I furrowed my eyebrows and stopped what I was doing.

“Are you okay?” I asked her gently.  Courtney looked embarrassed, wiping at her eyes.  Her mascara was running.

“Sorry,” she quickly apologized, sitting up in the chair.  “Don’t worry about it.”

“No, no,” I urged, walking closer.  “Did something happen?”

“It’s just…I don’t know if I’m cut out for this babysitting thing.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, stepping towards her.  Then I could hear it – someone was kicking at the bedroom door, screaming.  I didn’t need two guesses.  “Is that…Emilia?”

She nodded and cleared her throat a little as I took off my suit jacket and laid it on a bar stool.

“Has she been like this all night?”

“She kept being mean to Sebastian and wouldn’t stop when I asked,” she explained.  “Then she refused to pick up her toys and basically hasn’t listened to a word I’ve said.”

I sighed and closed my eyes in frustration.  Emilia could be such a wonderful, sweet little girl when she wanted to be, but when she got into a mood she was absolutely horrible.  “I am so sorry,” I told her.  “And believe me, it’s not you.  When Emilia gets into a mood…there’s no reasoning with her.”

A loud scream came from the bedroom and I knew I needed to get in there. “Would you like a soda?” I offered her, going to the fridge.  She nodded and smiled a little.  I took out a can of Coke, popped it open, and handed it to her.  “You relax and I’ll go deal with this.”

I walked down the hallway, listening to my six year old tantruming, not realizing I was home.  She knew very well that I didn’t tolerate this kind of foolishness.  I stopped at the twins’ door and knocked.

“Emilia,” my voice came through loud and clear, and the screaming immediately stopped.  Busted.  “On your bed now.”

I heard her scurry to her bed, then I pushed the door open.  Both twins were on their beds, looking at me wide-eyed.

“Sofia, go to my room,” I told her sister.  She nodded and gladly left the room.  I closed the door behind me and crossed my arms, staring Emilia down.  “Didn’t think I’d be home, huh?”

She twisted her feet, looking down at them, knowing she was in huge trouble.

“I forgot the tickets and came home to get them,” I explained to her.  “First thing I hear is you screaming and kicking the door.  And I heard from Courtney you’ve been mean to Sebastian and haven’t listened to her all night.  Anything else I need to know about?”

The girls knew very well that they were much better off telling me the whole truth.  If they kept something from me and I found out later, they were really in for it. 

She shook her head no.

“You know very well your mother and I do not put up with that kind of behavior,” I reminded her, stepping towards her.  “So why did you try it with Courtney?”

She shrugged her shoulders, still not looking at me.

“Because you thought you could get away with it?” I asked her.  “Did you think she wouldn’t tell me?”

She’d been so vocal earlier, but now she was dead silent.  I knew the girls hated when I had to punish them.  Being bad for their mother was one thing, but they knew I’d spank them if they were bad enough.  This certainly qualified.

“I’m very disappointed in you, Emilia,” I lectured, pulling out the desk chair.  “And seems to me like you need a good hard spanking.”

“Daddy, no,” she groaned softly, her face contorting with dread.

“Uh-huh,” I said, stepping towards her.  I rolled up my shirt sleeves as I waited for her to obey.  “Stand up.”

She knew better than to argue further.  Reluctantly she stood and allowed me to tug her towards the chair.  I sat down and pulled her to my right side as she began to whine and whimper.  It never worked, but she always tried.

“You’ve earned this tonight, Emilia,” I told her, tugging at her arm to get her to lay down on my lap.  With my left hand, I pinned her right to her side so she wouldn’t reach back and she started crying more, knowing the spanking was coming any moment.  Without further ado, I brought my other hand back and let it hand hard on her little bottom.

“Ahhh-howowowowowwww!” she complained, her body squirming.  I brought my hand down on her butt four more times, spanking her hard.  I didn’t spank her as hard as I could, but made sure it hurt.  She cried hard as I delivered my last hard swat.  I helped her stand up, the walked her to her bed to lay down on her tummy.  I left her laying there to cry.

I opened the door to leave, then closed it behind me.  I went to my own bedroom, where Sofia was sitting on the bed.  Her eyes were wide, having just overheard her twin sister getting spanked.

“Don’t worry,” I told her.  “You’re not in trouble.”

She relaxed as I sat down next to her on the bed.  “Tell me what happened tonight with your sister.”

“She wouldn’t let Sebastian play with us and she was pushing him and she wouldn’t let him have a turn when we were playing Candy Land,” she explained.  “Then she was throwing the toys around and Courtney told her to stop and pick them up but she wouldn’t.  And she wasn’t listening at all.  All night!”

I nodded, thinking that sounded just like Emilia in one of her moods.

“I figured,” I told her.  “Thank you for being such a good girl and listening to Courtney.”

She looked proud at the praise I had given her.

“I just spanked Emilia, so she needs some time to sit and think by herself,” I explained.  “So why don’t you stay in here for tonight and watch some TV.”

She smiled widely and let out a little squeal of delight, causing me to chuckle.

“C’mon,” I said, standing up.  “Climb into bed.”

I pulled back the covers and she climbed right into the middle.  I found the remote and turned the TV on.  She had soon found the Disney Channel and was happy as can be.  I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her head.

“Love you,” I told her.  “See you in the morning.”

I closed the bedroom door and then went to my son’s room.  Somehow, he had slept through Emilia’s screaming and kicking of the door.  I walked over to his little bed and watched him for a few moments.  After adjusting his covers, I closed his door and went back to the twins’ room.

Emilia was still laying on the bed, crying softly, but she was getting herself together.

“You need to come apologize to Courtney,” I told her from the door.  “Come on.”

She stood up slowly, rubbing at her eyes, and followed me down the hall to the living room.  Courtney looked up at us as we approached.

“Courtney, Emilia has something she’d like to say to you,” I prompted my daughter, looking down at her.  “Eyes up,” I reminded her.

Emilia looked at her babysitter and said softly, “Sorry I didn’t listen to you and that I was mean to Sebastian.”

“Thank you, Emilia,” Courtney told her, giving her a little smile.

“Emilia’s going straight to bed,” I told both of them.  “And if she gives you absolutely any more problems, call me.”

“Will do,” Courtney told me.

“Emilia?” I asked my daughter, and she looked up at me.  “I will not hesitate to come straight back here and spank you again if you so much as think of acting up.  Understood?”

She nodded at me, looking sorry. 

“Good,” I said.  “Go to bed.”

I watched my daughter slowly walk back to her room, giving her bottom a little rub as she went.  I’m sure her bottom still stung.  I turned back to Courtney.

“I just spanked her so I really don’t think she’ll give you any problems, but please do not hesitate to call me if she does,” I told her, finding my suit jacket on the bar stool.  Courtney looked a little embarrassed but grateful that I had come back.

With that, I told her goodbye and locked the door behind me.

When Vanessa and I came home later, she went to check on Sebastian and I went to our bedroom.  After hanging up my suit jacket, then taking off my tie, I walked over to our bed where Sofia was sound asleep, the TV still on.  I found the remote and turned it off.  Gently, I scooted her body to the edge of the bed then carefully picked her up.

She stirred as she rested her head on my shoulder, her arms around me.  “Daddy?” she croaked out as I started walking her to her room.

“Yeah, sweet pea?” I asked her.

“Can we go to the zoo tomorrow?”

I smirked as I walked down the hall with her in my arms.  Such a great feeling.

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow,” I told her softly.  I pushed her bedroom door open, the moonlight shining through the window.  Emilia was breathing slowly, fast asleep in her own bed.  I leaned down and pulled back Sofia’s covers, then gently eased her body onto the mattress.  She turned onto her side and I pulled up her covers.  I pressed a kiss to her temple then turned to check on Emilia, my troublemaker.

Putting my hands in my pockets, I watched her sleeping for several long moments.  She was so sweet and innocent when she slept.  I often wondered what made my oldest daughter tick.  Most of the time, she was happy-go-lucky, but she had a bad streak in her too.  I was doing my best to teach her, guide her to make the right choices.  I hoped I was doing a good enough job.

I leaned down and kissed Emilia on the forehead and gave her one last look before joining my wife in our bedroom.

___

The next morning, Sofia was the first one up, followed by Sebastian.  I poured them cereal as Vanessa started a load of laundry.  Cartoons played softly as we went about our morning routine.  After half an hour, Emilia still hadn’t appeared so I decided to go find her.

I pushed her door open and saw her laying awake in bed, twirling her hair.  I smiled at her and came in, perching on the edge of the bed.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” I told her.

“Morning,” she told me, turning onto her side.

“How’d you sleep?” I asked gently, tucking some hair out of her face.

“Okay,” she told me.

“Yeah?  Are you hungry?”

She shrugged, looking down at the floor.  I watched her for a few moments and determined she needed some TLC.  As her dad, it was my job to discipline her when necessary, but also to give her lots of love and affection.  I pulled back her covers and carefully pulled her into my lap.  She rested her head against my chest as I wrapped my arms around her.

“Good girl,” I told her, pressing a kiss to her head.

“No I’m not,” she told me, surprisingly.  I looked at her face and saw she was serious.

“Why do you say that?” I asked her.

“I was really bad last night,” she reminded me.

I rested my chin on top of her head and sighed.  “You made some bad choices last night,” I corrected her.  “But that doesn’t make you a bad person.  Everyone makes mistakes.”

“Are you mad at me?” she asked.

“Not anymore,” I assured her.  “We talked last night and I punished you, but I think you learned your lesson.  Am I right?”

“I think so,” she said.

“I know you won’t act like that for a babysitter again,” I predicted, squeezing her tightly.  She buried her face in my shirt a little tighter so I just held her a little longer.  Emilia just needed a cuddle and I was happy to supply her with one.  I held her for a good ten minutes before Vanessa pushed the door open, smiling at what she found.

“There you two are,” she said.  “Emilia, are you hungry now?”

She nodded and sat up, and I released my arms.  She climbed off my lap and walked to the door. Vanessa touched her hair gently as she walked by, then she looked at me as I stood up.

“She okay?” she asked me.

I nodded.  “She was worried I was still mad at her last night.  I told her it was over, and she just needed a cuddle.”

I snaked my arm around my wife, letting my hand rest on the small of her back.  She leaned in to kiss me.  She pulled back, but I leaned in and captured her lips again, kissing her slowly.

“Ewwww!!!” we heard Sofia exclaim from down the hall, causing us both to chuckle.  We heard something crash in the living room and closed our eyes, wondering what it was.  We never got a minute of rest with this family.  I took Vanessa’s hand and squeezed it as we walked together to the living, ready to face whatever life threw at us.


	10. Curiosity Killed the Cat

I sat at my desk in my bedroom after school like usual, doing my homework like the good girl I always was.  I was just getting to the end of my language arts homework when I heard our front door open rather abruptly.  A moment later, I heard my stepsister, Cam, crying and pleading.

“Daddy, please!” she sobbed, sounding thoroughly sorry.

The door slammed.  “I am not going to put up with this new attitude of yours,” I heard my stepfather, Lin, tell her.  His voice was hard and no-nonsense.  The kind of voice that would instantly terrify me.  I hated getting in trouble with adults which is why I rarely ever acted up.

“I’m sorry!” she sobbed and I could hear him pulling her along through the kitchen and towards the hallway.

“I’m gonna make sure of that,” he quipped, obviously very annoyed.  My heart started pounding as I turned in my chair towards my open bedroom door.  I glimpsed Lin tugging Cam along in the hallway until they reached the door of her bedroom, directly across the hallway from mine.  He flung the door open as Cam continued to cry and beg.

He didn’t bother shutting the door so I had a full view of what was going on.  He angrily pulled out her desk chair, still gripping her upper arm firmly.  Lin sat down and forced her over his lap.

“Daaaaad!” she begged, covering her bottom with one of her hands.  Lin quickly pinned the arm to the small of her back, then proceeded to swat her butt hard.  I saw Cam’s body jerk in reaction to the spanking she was starting to receive.

I wasn’t sure what she’d done, but Lin looked pretty ticked off about it.  She was ten years old, almost eleven, and starting to develop “an attitude” as Lin and my mom called it.  She had smart-alek answers, rolled her eyes, and was otherwise unpleasant sometimes.  My stepfather didn’t put up with it, and Cam must have taken it too far.

I watched, eyes wide, as Lin spanked her butt hard over and over again.  I could hear the loud smacking sound as his hand met with her jeans.  Cam continued to buck and struggle against him, but there was no escaping the spanking.

Finally, Lin decided she’d had enough.  He guided her to stand up, the walked her to her bed, which was unmade.  Her room was a mess as well.

“Once you’ve calmed down, clean this place up,” he told her shortly, tucking the chair under her desk.  Lin turned to leave and I quickly shifted my body back around, not wanting him to know I’d been watching.  He closed the door behind him this time, but I could hear Cam sobbing.  Her bottom must hurt really badly.  Lin was spanking her hard.

I wondered what it was like to get a spanking from Lin.  My dad had swatted me once or twice as a young kid, but I hadn’t been spanked in years, and never like that.  What was it like to be trapped like that with no escape?  How much did it really hurt?  I was very curious.

After a few minutes of hard crying, I could hear Cam start to calm down.  Lin was in the kitchen, going through drawers probably to get the dinner started.  He still sounded plenty annoyed, so I stayed tucked away in my bedroom.

A while later, my mother got home from work and I could hear them talking quietly in the kitchen.  My mom’s voice was sympathetic as he probably told her about what happened with Cam.  I wanted to know, so I tiptoed to my door so I could listen in some more.

“…the second detention she’s had this week,” I heard Lin tell my mom.  “And all because of talking back to teachers.  When I picked her up today, one of her teachers caught me and said she’s been acting up in class and copping an attitude with all the adults.  I don’t see why she thinks she has the right to do that.”

Acting up at home seemed to be one thing, but if Cam got in trouble at school it was a whole new level of trouble.  Lin was famous and so was my mom.  They didn’t want us being known as bratty kids or embarrassing them with that kind of behavior.

I pictured Cam getting spanked again when my mom walked to my door.  She knocked gently and gave me a small smile.  “Hi sweetheart.”

My face flushed, embarrassed I’d been thinking about Cam getting spanked.  Why was I thinking about it again?  Why was I so curious?

“Hi Mommy,” I replied as she came to give me a hug, then sat on my bed.  She asked me about my day and I replied dutifully.

“Listen, I got called out of town,” she went on.  “I have to go to D.C. for three days.  It’s a bit last minute, unfortunately.  I have to leave in the morning.”

“Oh…” I said.  “Okay.”

“Lin will be here to take care of you though,” she told me.  “You’ll be a good girl right?”

I was always a good girl.  Mom never had to worry about me misbehaving. But what if I wasn’t a good girl for once?  What if I did something so bad while Mom was away that Lin had no choice but to spank me? 

Mom got up to go change and I went back to my homework.  A half hour later, I was called for dinner.  The four of us sat around the table, Cam still sniffling a little and her face red.  I wondered what her bottom looked and felt like.  Was it red?  Did it still sting?

Cam kept her eyes on her food and didn’t talk, and didn’t dare look at her father.  Lin didn’t prompt her to talk with any questions and I could tell he still wasn’t happy with her.  As we finished up, Lin told her to do the dishes.  She grumbled, which I thought was brave.

“Camila,” he said in a warning voice, sending chills down my spine.  “Lose the attitude.  That’s what got you spanked today.”

Cam wisely didn’t complain anymore and we all brought the dishes to the counter for her to do.  I discreetly disappeared to my bedroom.

____

Mom kissed me goodbye the next morning, her suitcase waiting by the door.  She reminded me to be a good girl and I told her I would be.  But I had plans.  I was going to do something bad.  I wanted to know what if felt like to get a spanking like Cam had gotten.

 

All day at school, I thought about what I should do.  I thought about reasons Cam had gotten spanked in the past.  I’d been living with them for around 6 months now and Cam had gotten spanked a few times.  Once was when we’d gotten in trouble together for riding the subway alone.  Another was when she and her friends went on the roof of the apartment.  It seemed Lin spanked her for being unsafe, or for being really rude and disrespectful.

I decided I’d act up at school the next day.  I’d do something to get on red and my teacher would call him. Maybe that would be enough.

I had to work up my guts a little. I felt nervous, but excited.  That day at school, I acted like I was in a really bad mood.  I cut in line.  I tapped on my desk with a pencil and didn’t stop when the teacher asked.  She moved me down to yellow.  Inside, I was a little disappointed in myself.  I’d never gotten on yellow before.  My teacher had never even had to correct me.

My teacher used some kind of system that Mom and Lin could check my behavior online.  Lin must have checked it or got a notification because when I came home he asked me about it, concerned.

“Did you have a rough day, sweetheart?” he asked me kindly as he set my snack down on the table.

I shrugged my shoulders and he sat down across from me.

“Looks like you got on yellow at school,” he observed, checking his phone.  “That’s never happened before.  Did something happen?”

“I was in a bad mood,” I told him, and he nodded in understanding.

“What does your mom do when you get on yellow?” he asked me.

“I’ve never gotten on yellow,” I told him.  He opened up his phone and typed something with his thumbs.  His phone dinged a minute later with a response.

“Your mom is surprised,” he reported.  “She says no TV tonight.”

I looked down, nodding my head.  I worked up a little courage later that night.  I was supposed to be in my room doing homework, but Cam was out on the couch watching TV with her dad.  I kept peeking around the corner and then bravely stood there at the table watching until I was finally noticed.

“Molly, what are you doing?” Lin asked me.

I shrugged, my eyes on the TV.

“No TV tonight, remember?” he said.  “Back to your room, please.”

I scurried off, having lost my nerve.  It took everything in me to do something bad.  How did kids do this on a regular basis?

I went to bed that night, frustrated with myself.  Mom would be back in two mornings.  If I was gonna get spanked, it would have to be tomorrow.

I’d forgotten we had a field trip.  We were going to the Brooklyn Zoo.  There were lots of parents going, and we were split into groups of 3 or 4.  I had Sara’s mom, and she was really nice.  We walked around the zoo together, watching the animals.

I knew Lin didn’t like us doing unsafe things.  I worked up my courage and asked to go to the bathroom.  Sara’s mom said yes and I wandered off.  Only I didn’t go to the bathroom.  I went to another part of the zoo.  I wandered by myself for a really long time.

I didn’t have a watch or phone, so I’m not sure how long I was really missing.  I’d gone to this zoo tons of times so I knew exactly where I was.  I wasn’t lost.  My chaperone just didn’t know where I was.  Suddenly, I heard my teacher’s voice shout my name.

“Molly!  Where have you been?” she asked, sounding terrified.  “We’ve been looking for you for over half an hour.”

I was instantly sorry.  I hated being in trouble. “I-I’m ssss-s-sorry, Mrs. Phillips,” I managed to stammer out.  She looked at me pointedly.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you these last two days,” she said.  “You were on yellow for the first time ever yesterday and now you run away on a field trip?  What’s going on?”

I just shrugged and she studied me like she didn’t know who I was.  Finally, she grasped my hand and marched me over to a bench.

“I’m calling your stepfather,” she decided and I felt my heart drop.  But this is what I wanted.  I wanted to be in big trouble with Lin so he’d spank me.

“I’m sorry,” I told her weakly as we sat down.  She scrolled through her phone and then put it up to her ear.  Was this going to be enough?

“Mr. Miranda?” she said.  “Hi, this is Marcy Phillips.  I’m Molly’s teacher…hi.  I have her here with me.  We’re at a field trip to the Brooklyn Zoo and she wandered off for half an hour.  We were all worried sick.”

She was silent as I heard Lin talking on the other end.  I couldn’t make out what he was saying. 

“Yes, I agree,” she said, looking at me.  “Yes, here she is.”

She passed the phone to me and I quietly answered.  “Hello?”

“Molly, what were you thinking?” he asked me firmly, though he wasn’t yelling.

“I dunno…” I told him.

“You know better than to wander off by yourself in a public place,” he lectured me.  “You had your teacher and the other parents worried sick.”

“Sorry,” I told him very quietly, biting my lip.

“You need to apologize to Mrs. Phillips and Sara’s mom,” he said.  “And when you get home we’re going to have a discussion about this.  Understood?”

“Yes,” I said quietly.  He told me to hand the phone back to Mrs. Phillips so I did.  The rest of the afternoon I had to stay with Mrs. Phillips and hold her hand the whole time.

I was quiet on the bus ride back to school, and quiet the rest of the afternoon.  I knew Uncle Lin would be picking me up and he’d be really disappointed in me.  The bell rang and I trudged along the hallway to the front of the school, where Lin and Cam were both waiting for me.  As I approached, he gave me a disappointed look.  My insides squirmed.

“Let’s go, Molly,” he told me simply.  As he and Cam turned to walk out, I froze there, wondering what he would do.  They walked a few steps, talking, then realized I wasn’t following.  Lin stopped and looked back me.  “Molly, come on.  We need to get home.  Cam’s got softball practice later.”

“I don’t care!” I growled, crossing my arms.  Lin looked really confused, and Cam was surprised.  I was always the good kid, so hearing me say that was probably shocking.

Without saying a word, Lin strode over to me, untucked my arm, and gripped my hand firmly.  I pulled back against him, giving this bad behavior day my all.

“Why’s she being so bad?” Cam asked her father.  Lin finally gripped me by my upper arms and started to march me forwards.  He was strong so I had no choice but to walk.  I frowned, giving him a glare whenever he looked at me.

We finally got home and he told me to go straight to my room.  I slammed my bedroom door, which I’d heard Cam do before, and knew he didn’t like.  I sat on my bed and wondered if it had been enough.  Was Lin going to spank me?  What was it going to feel like?  I could hear him talking on the phone and knew he was probably calling my mom.  Would she tell him to spank me?

Finally, he knocked on my door fifteen minutes or so later.  He had that disappointed look on his face again as he closed the door behind him.

“I just got off the phone with your mom,” he reported, crossing his arms.  “She’s very confused as to why you’d run off on a field trip like that, and so am I.”

I wrinkled my forehead and stared at the ground.

“Do you realize how dangerous that was?” he asked me, stepping in a little farther.

I shrugged.

“You may have been to the zoo a lot of times, but you are still a child,” he told me.  “When you’re on a field trip, the adults are responsible for you.  You scared them to death today, Molly.”

“So what?” I retorted, crossing my arms.  I chanced a look at him and he looked confused.

“Why are you acting like this?” he asked me.  “Is it because your mother’s gone?”

I didn’t answer him.

“I’m giving you a chance to set things right,” he told me.  “This isn’t the Molly I know.  You’re grounded to your room for the night, and you’d better be on your best behavior.  If not, there will be more consequences.  Your mom will punish you when she gets home tomorrow.”

Lin turned and left and I felt a wave of disappointment.  He wasn’t going to punish me?  Other than grounding me to my room?  Mom would just give me a lecture and make me tell her what I was feeling.  She’d ground me for the weekend.  I had to do something else.

I stood up and went to the door.  I opened it up and then slammed it again, hard.  I began doing it again and again.  I heard Cam and Lin shouting for me to stop but I ignored them.  I began to scream at the top of my lungs.

I heard heavy footsteps in the hallway, and suddenly Lin was marching down the hall towards me.  I gasped at the look on his face, knowing I’d really done it now.  I shut the door and rushed to my bed.  I sat down just as he opened the door and shut it again roughly.

“That’s it,” he informed me, and suddenly I felt terrified.  He pulled out my desk chair, setting it down hard in the middle of the room.  Was he going to…spank me?  I was so scared.  Now I understood the panic I’d seen from Cam the other day when she knew her father was going to spank her.  This was going to hurt.

He gripped my upper arm to pull me to standing.

“I told you I was giving you another chance,” he reminded me as he sat down, tugging me along with him.  I had no choice but to stumble along as he steered me to the right of his legs.  “You are not cooperating at all so now I’m gonna have to spank you.”

“Nooo!!” I heard myself scream, and dropped my bottom towards the floor.  If I was sitting, he couldn’t spank me.  I was a little girl, though, and I was no match for Lin.  He easily pulled me over his lap and suddenly I was looking at my bedroom floor.

I was already crying when I felt the first swat land on my bottom.  A sting like I’d never felt before.  My body jerked in reaction, trying to get away, but Lin held me in place easily.  I cried out as he spanked me again and again.  I’m not sure how many times he slapped me on the butt because I was too busy losing my mind.  It stung.  It stung so badly.

I felt him stand me up, then lay me down on my bed.  He may have said something to me but I don’t remember at all.  I laid on my bed on my stomach, bawling as I rubbed at my stinging bottom.  No wonder Cam cried and begged him so much.  This hurt.

After a few minutes, I’d finally calmed down a little bit.  Curiously, I stood up and walked over to my mirror.  I pulled my pants and panties down a little and saw my bottom was pink.  I just stared for several minutes, feeling kind of proud of myself.  I’d gotten a spanking and I had lived through it.  I was kind of proud of myself.

After I’d had a good look, I walked back to my bed and laid down on my tummy again.  I didn’t want to lay down on my back because my bottom still stung.  How long would it hurt?

A while later, Cam came to my room to tell me dinner was ready.  She stood in my doorway, looking at me.

“Did my dad actually spank you?” she asked me, and I nodded.  “Damn.  You really messed up.”

I shrugged and got up and rubbed my bottom again.  There was still a little bit of sting.

“Hurts, doesn’t it?” she asked me knowingly, and I nodded as I followed behind her.  The three of us ate dinner quietly.  I couldn’t look at Lin.  Less than an hour before, he’d spanked me.  It seemed like our relationship was different now.  Only parents were supposed to spank their children.  We’d crossed a threshold today, and now I knew he’d spank me if I did something bad enough.

We began to clear the dishes away and I could sense Lin close by.

“Molly, your mother wants you to call her,” he told me. “She’s very disappointed.”

I nodded as I rinsed off my plate, then set it in the dishwasher.  I hated disappointing Mommy.

“I’ll run you a bath, then afterwards we’ll call,” he decided, taking over with the dishes.  I went to my room and heard the bath water running a few minutes later.  Lin knocked on my door and I took my pajamas and new underwear with me. 

As I sat in the bath, I thought about my upcoming conversation with my mother.  She was going to tell me how disappointed she was in me, and I would probably break down crying.  Upsetting my mom was the worst.  I’d told her I’d be a good girl.

I stayed in the bath until my skin was pruny.  Lin knocked on the door and told me to finish up.  I pulled the plug, dried off, and got dressed in my jammies.  I was hoping Lin would just forget about the call, but he didn’t.  He walked in a few minutes later, already on the phone with my mom.  He passed it over to me and I answered reluctantly.

Mom proceeded to tell me how surprised she’d been to hear about what I’d done.  And that when Lin sent me to my room I was slamming the door and screaming.  She said she agreed that Lin should have spanked me.  That I deserved it.  She told me she loved me and she’d see me tomorrow.

I was crying throughout the conversation, hating my mom’s sad voice.  We said goodbye and I laid down on my side, letting Lin’s phone sit on the bed.  A few minutes later, the door pushed open and I sensed him pick the phone back up.

“Alright, let’s get you tucked in,” He told me.  I felt Lin move my body a little so he could get me under the covers as I cried softly.  He disappeared for a moment then came back with some tissues.  The bed dipped as he sat down.

“You had a rough day,” he said, looking down at me.  “Which is really unusual.  Do you know why?”

I wiped at my eyes with my tissue, not wanting to tell him the real reason.  I’d wanted to know what a spanking felt like, and I’d found out.  Now that I knew, I didn’t think I’d ever want one again.  That would never happen on purpose again.

“Well, tomorrow’s another day,” he reminded me.  “You just had a really off day.  Your mom and I love you a lot.  You know that right?”

He gently rubbed at my arm.

“Even if I have to spank you,” he added.  I didn’t answer, and he leaned down to kiss my temple.  He stood up, sighing.  “Goodnight, sweetheart.  I love you.”

He walked to the door and turned out the light.

“Love you too,” I said quietly.


	11. A Call From School

When he’d gotten the call from the kids’ school he automatically figured it was for Emilia, who was known for being the troublemaker of the twins.  However, the principal began to explain to Lin there was a problem with Sophia.  Something involving technology and some activity that had been quite alarming. 

Despite having a busy schedule, Lin promptly cleared his afternoon.  His family always came first and everyone who worked with him knew it.  He hopped on the subway and rode it down to Hunter College Elementary where all his kids went to school.  After signing in at the main office the secretary picked up the phone to tell the principal Sophia’s father had arrived.

The door opened and the man motioned for Lin to join him.  Lin had been in this office many times, mostly because of Emilia.  As he racked his brain he realized this was the first time he’d been called into school for anything to do with Sophia.  The nine year old sat in one of the chairs, her knees curled up to her chest, head on her forearms.  She knew she was in trouble.

“Please, Mr. Mirada, sit down,” the principal gestured to the open chair as he sat as well.  Lin glanced at his daughter, wondering what she’d done that was so awful.  “Sorry to have to call you in.  I know you’re busy.  But we have a very serious matter on our hands.”

“I’m glad to come in,” Lin told the principal. “What’s up?”

“The students were in the computer lab earlier,” he began, clasping his hands on the desk.  “And were supposed to be working on biographies.  Sophia’s teacher was busy helping another student when she heard some laughing from the corner of the room.  When she investigated, she found that Sophia had been in a chat room, talking about some inappropriate things.”

Sophia kept her face hidden, mortified.  She hadn’t thought this through all the way.  She’d been caught up in the moment and the thrill of doing something she knew she wasn’t supposed to do.  Then she hadn’t paid close enough attention to where the teacher was and had gotten caught.

“What kind of things?” Lin asked, glancing at his daughter again.

“Things of a sexual nature,” he told the concerned father, passing over a piece of paper.  Lin quickly scanned the page and was alarmed to see the conversation.  His daughter had been asking and answering some very inappropriate questions.  Questions he didn’t even know she would think of to ask.

“Sophia, is this true?” Lin asked his daughter.  She let out a little grumble so Lin grasped at her elbow.  “Sit up, please.”

Sophia reluctantly uncurled herself but didn’t dare look at her father.  She didn’t want to see the disappointment on his face.

“Sophia, explain,” Lin prompted his child.

“I didn’t mean it,” she said in a tiny voice.  “I was just fooling around.  It was stupid.”

“Part of the problem is, Sophia,” the principal went on.  “Is you have no idea who you were talking to.  And you gave out personal information, including your school name.”

Lin rubbed at his temple, floored at Sophia’s actions.  He thought she knew way better than this.  The principal continued on, talking about how dangerous it was to talk to strangers online.  Because of the serious nature of this, she would be suspended for three days.

“And I’m afraid you won’t be allowed to use technology for the rest of the school year,” he added, moving his mouse to wake up his computer screen.

“She’ll have a similar consequence at home,” Lin said.  “Among other things.”

He looked over at his kid, her head hung.  All his kids knew he didn’t play around with their physical safety.  It was one of the reasons he never posted their faces on the Internet.  Their identities were private partially for their safety.

The principal said they were free to go and that Sophia could return to school on Friday.  Sophia got her backpack and kept her eyes on the floor as she followed her father out of the school.  They wordlessly walked towards the subway as Sophia’s heart filled with dread.  She hated disappointing her father.  Sophia very rarely got in trouble and practically fell apart when she did.  She was often so disappointed in herself that any punishment Lin could hand out paled in comparison to what went on in her own mind.  Still, Lin knew she needed to be punished for this.  He couldn’t just let this go.

When they arrived home, Lin told his daughter to go straight to her bedroom.  He followed her and asked her to hand over her electronics.  She opened her bedside drawer and fished out the iPad and Nintendo Switch.  Sophia reluctantly handed them over and her father left for now.  She curled up on her bed and cried.

Lin took the electronics straight to his room and powered them off, then tucked them away in the closet.  His daughter would not be seeing them for a very long time.  He gave himself some time to cool off and called his wife, Vanessa, explaining the situation.  She was equally appalled at her behavior and they both agreed this was major enough for a spanking.  Lin hated spanking his kids – especially his girls – but this was huge.  He wanted her to think long and hard before she ever considered doing something like this again.

After ten minutes or so, Lin wandered down the hallway and knocked on the twins’ bedroom door.  He heard a sorrowful come in and pushed it open.  Sophia sat up on her bed, rubbing at her eyes.  Lin sighed and pulled out her desk chair.

“Sophia, c’mere,” he requested gently.  Sophia stood up obediently and started crying a little harder, knowing she was most likely in for a spanking.  She approached him slowly and he let his hands rest on her sides.  “Look at me.”

She reluctantly obeyed.  “What you did today was very serious,” he said, eyebrows raised.  “Do you understand that?”

“Yes,” she said sorrowfully.

“Not only was it inappropriate, but you were talking to a stranger,” he said.  “And you gave out personal information.  Do you realize how easy it would be for whoever it was to show up at school?  Find you?”

He didn’t want to terrify her, but she needed a reality check.  She sobbed some more.

“You are nine years old,” he reminded her.  “Old enough to know better, but not old enough to be talking about the things you were writing.  Where did you hear that?”

She shrugged her shoulders.

“That’s not an answer,” he told her.  “Tell me.”

“Emilia wanted to look so we went on some websites about…boy stuff,” she confessed.  Lin nodded, not surprised that Emilia had been the ringleader.  He understood kids were curious but they hadn’t gone about it the right way.  It was so easy to find things on the Internet and as the father of daughters it terrified him.

“And that’s one of the reasons you’re not allowed on any technology at home for two months,” he told her. 

“But-“ she began to protest.

“Emilia too,” he added.  “She’s grounded for a month.  If you have questions about sex or boys you ask your mother or me, understand?”

She nodded, rubbing at her eyes again.

“Alright,” he said, grasping her right upper arm with his left.  “I talked to your mom and we both agreed you deserve a spanking.”

“Noooooo,” she immediately began sobbing again as her father guided her to the left side of his lap.  Sophia placed her hands on her father’s thighs to prevent herself from being laid down on his lap.

“Bend over,” he told her firmly, but he wasn’t angry.  When she didn’t budge he took her wrists and then pulled her upper body over his legs.  She squirmed and cried but he easily got her in place.  His right hand on her back prevented her from getting up.

“You need to think about this next time you even think of doing something so dangerous,” Lin told his daughter firmly as he positioned her bottom.  He raised his left hand and brought the first smack down hard on her little bottom.  Her body jolted in surprise and she cried out louder.

“Ahhh-hahahowwwwww!” she complained as Lin continued to slap her bottom hard.  With each spank, her hips jerked around, trying to avoid the next swat, but her father kept her in place.  All she could do was cry as he spanked her hard again and again.

After about ten hard spanks, Lin gently guided her to stand up and followed suit himself.  He guided her to her bed to lay down on her tummy.  “Stay here until dinner,” Lin told her.  “Bathroom only.”

Sophia laid on her bed and sobbed as her father left the room, closing the door behind him.  Her little bottom was on fire.  She rubbed at it, trying to get the sting to lessen but she knew it would be hurting for a while.  Sophia wasn’t spanked very often but didn’t forget how much it hurt.

The nine year old cried for quite a while from the pain and the shame.  She’d disappointed her daddy, who she loved so much.  Sophia always wanted to please him and her mother and she’d messed it up.  She deserved to be spanked.

 

She laid on her bed for a good long while and then heard the front door open and the bustle of her other siblings coming home.  Sophia sat up and rubbed at her eyes, realizing she must have fallen asleep.  Her twin sister bounded into the bedroom they shared.

“You were talking to some guy online?!” she asked her sister, exasperated.  Emilia shut the door and let her backpack drop to the floor.  Sophia sighed and laid down again.  She hated that the entire third grade and probably tons of other kids knew she’d gotten in trouble.  It was embarrassing.  Another thing she hadn’t thought through.

“It was stupid,” Sophia grumbled to her sister.

“What did you say?” Emilia prodded, sitting on her own bed.

“None of your business!” she snapped, and Emilia rolled her eyes.

“Did you get suspended?” she asked.

“Yes,” Sophia groaned.

“Did Dad spank you?” Emilia guess.

“Of course,” she answered, crossing her arms.  Her bottom still stung a bit and she wasn’t happy about it.

“That sucks,” Emilia chimed, then their bedroom door opened.  Lin poked his head in.

“Do either of you want a snack?” he asked.  Emilia nodded and sprung up, heading for the kitchen but Sophia turned onto her side, facing away from her father.  She was in no mood for a snack.  Lin closed the door and stepped inside, knowing his daughter was upset.  He walked over and sat on the edge of her bed.

“Sophia?  Sweetheart?” he asked his daughter.  “Do you understand why what you did today was so dangerous?”

Now they were both calm and had some time to think, they could have a more level-headed conversation.  “Yes,” she grumbled.

“Good,” Lin said.  “Because I don’t want anything to happen to you.  I want you to be safe.”

Lin thought she was ignoring him since she was so quiet, but then he became aware she was crying softly.  It broke his heart when his kids cried.

“C’mere,” he said softly, gently pulling on her arm.  Sophia ducked her head but allowed her father to pull her into his lap.  She started crying harder, burying her face in his shirt.  Lin softly shooshed her, rubbing at her arm.  He held her for several minutes as she just cried and then started to calm down.

Lin pressed a kiss to her head.  “Why are you crying sweetheart?”

“Because I was stupid,” she confessed tearfully.  Lin tucked some hair away from her wet face.

“You weren’t stupid,” he corrected her.  “You made a mistake.  I can understand you’re curious about things, but you have to find out the right way.  Your mom and I can answer questions if you have them.  You can’t be going online and talking to strangers.”

She let out a soft little sob and he pressed another kiss to her head.

“It’s all okay now,” he assured her.  “I punished you earlier and you’re suspended from school until Friday.”

“But all the kids will be talking about me,” she teared up again.

“Well, that’s a consequence you’ll have to face,” he acknowledged.  “But you don’t have to tell them anything.  Just say it’s none of your business.  And if they don’t stop tell the teacher.”

Vanessa had just gotten home and pushed the door open, finding her husband and daughter cuddling.  She smiled gently and sat next to her husband.  Sophia reached for her and she was gently transferred over to her lap.  Fresh tears came.

“You made a mistake but it’s over now,” Vanessa reassured her daughter.  Lin rubbed at her back as his wife held Sophia.

“I reminded her she can ask us if she has questions about boys and bodies,” Lin said.  “She can always ask of.”

“Of course,” Vanessa agreed.  “I’m happy to talk to you about all that.  It’s perfectly natural to have questions.”

The two parents and their daughter sat together for a while longer, gently talking to assure Sophia everything was alright now.  She’d gotten a rare spanking and wouldn’t soon forget it.  Before long, the other kids were calling, needing other things.  Vanessa gently set Sophia’s feet on the floor and they all stood up.  Dinner was almost ready and it would do Sophia good to be with her family.

“Love you, sweet pea,” Lin reminded his daughter as they walked out to the kitchen together.  She looked up at him and a small smile formed on her face.

“Love you too, Daddy.”


	12. Caught Stealing

Sebastian balanced his shopping basket in one hand and held his younger sister’s hand with the other.  They made their way to the check out counter and he set the basket on the belt.  Immediately, Emilia’s eyes went to the rows of candy conveniently waiting.

“Seb, can I have some M&M’s?” she asked her big brother hopefully.

“No,” he told her.  “Dad said only these things.  Plus I don’t have enough.”

“Pleeeaaaaase?” she begged with her big doe eyes.  Sebastian chuckled.

“No, Em,” he told her.  “Not today.”

She grumbled as Seb unloaded their items onto the belt.  The worker began scanning his items and they engaged in some small talk as Emilia stared at the candy.  She desperately wanted some chocolate.  It wasn’t fair that grown ups got to decide when she got candy and when she couldn’t.  She looked at her big brother and saw he was distracted.  Her heart pounded as she looked at the little bag of M&M’s.  She reached out and grabbed it, then shoved it in her front pocket, then pulled her shirt down farther over it.

The lady packed up their bags and Seb called to Emilia.  “C’mon.  Let’s go home.”

She nodded and took his outstretched hand.  They were heading towards the door when a man in a uniform approached them.  “Excuse me, sir?”

Sebastian stopped, looking at the security officer.  “Yes.  Can I help you?”

He pointed down at Emilia.  “I just saw this young lady tuck a bag of M&M’s in her front pocket.  Did you pay for that?”

Sebastian furrowed his eyebrows and looked down at his sister, confused.  She was playing with her lip and her face was starting to flush.  “Emilia?  Do you have M&M’s in your pocket?”

She didn’t answer.  Sebastian knelt down beside his sister as people streamed past.  “Emilia,” he said gently.  “What’s in your front pocket?”

She still didn’t answer so he moved her shirt aside and saw a bulge in her right pocket.  He sighed as he reached in and took them out.  “Where did you get this?”

No response. 

“Did you take this in the checkout lane after I told you no?” he asked.  His sister was silent, knowing she was caught with no good explanation.  Sebastian stood and handed the bag back to the officer.  “I am really sorry, sir.  She took it without my permission.  Are we free to go now?”

“Yes,” he said, then looked down at Emilia.  “Don’t do that again, young lady.  Stealing is a crime.”

Emilia chewed on her lip as Sebastian took her hand, a little more firmly this time.  She dawdled as he tugged her along down the street towards their apartment building.  Sebastian was fuming.  He couldn’t believe his seven year old sister would do such a thing.  He didn’t say a word as he practically dragged her home.

When they reached their apartment he set the bag on the floor.  “Help me put these away,” he told her.  “Then you can go to your room.”  


“But Seb!” she instantly protested.

“I don’t want to hear it,” he told her shortly.  “You tried to steal.  That’s really bad, Emilia.”

“I’m sorry!” she said as she reached into the bag.  “I just really wanted some chocolate.”

“And I told you no,” he reminded her.

“It’s not fair!” she pouted, crossing her arms.

“Life’s not fair,” he quipped as he tossed some lunch meat into the fridge.  “Go to your room.  You can tell Dad when he gets home.”

Her eyes flew open.  “Nooo!!  Don’t tell Daddy!”

“Of course we’re telling Dad,” Sebastian told his little sister.  “No way you’re getting away with this.”

“But I gave it back!” she told him.  “Please?”

“You only gave it back because the security officer caught you,” Seb said, not willing to let this go.  He knew their parents did not tolerate stealing and would be mortified that Em had tried.  “Go to your room.  Now.”

“But Daddy will spank me!” Emilia teared up, thinking of the dreaded punishment.  Of all her siblings, she definitely got spanked the most.  Em had a naughty streak in her and didn’t always seem fazed by consequences.

“Yeah, he probably will,” Seb agreed.  “You should’ve thought of that before you stole.  Go.”

Emilia cried softly as she trudged back to her bedroom to wait for her father.  Waiting was the worst.  All Emilia could do was think about her father’s disappointed face and how he would lecture her about how stealing was wrong.  Then he’d either pull her over his lap or bend her over the bed and spank her poor bottom.  Emilia wanted to disappear.

A while later, Lin got home, finding Sebastian eating a snack on the couch.  “Hey, bud,” he greeted his oldest son as he kicked off his shoes.

“Hi Dad,” the seventeen-year-old replied back.

“Everything go okay today?” he asked, knowing he’d left his oldest in charge of his twin little sisters.  Sophia was at a friend’s house now and he assumed Emilia was around somewhere.

“Actually, we had a little incident,” he told his father, turning around to look at him.  “At the supermarket.  Emilia will tell you.”

Lin sighed as he went to the cabinet for a glass.  He began to pour some water.  “What did she do?  Just so I know.”

“She tried to steal a bag of M&M’s,” Sebastian said, wincing.  “We were on our way out and a security guard stopped us.  It was stuffed in her front pocket.”

“Jesus,” Lin muttered, taking a sip.  “Sorry you had to deal with that.  She’s in her room?”

“Yep,” Seb said, turning back around.  He knew his little sister was in big trouble, as she should be.  Knowing their father, she would very likely get spanked for this.  Seb felt badly that he’d had to tell on her, but she couldn’t be stealing like that.

Lin finished his glass of water and then wandered down the hallway.  The twins’ room was silent.  He knocked and then pushed the door open, finding Emilia laying on her bed, playing with the bracelets on her wrist.

“Hey, Em,” he greeted his daughter as he pulled out the desk chair.  “How was your day?”

“Okay,” the little girl said, feeling out the mood.

“Was it?” he asked her, leaning forward on his elbows.  “Seb said you had something to tell me.  Something happened at the grocery store?”

Emilia sighed, but then paused.  Maybe Sebastian hadn’t told him the whole story yet.  Maybe she could just tell her dad something that wasn’t quite so bad.  She sat up, conjuring up a little lie in her head quickly.

“Well,” she began, fiddling with her bracelet still.  “I was being kinda silly and dancing around in the aisle and Seb told me to stop, but I didn’t.  And then I accidentally knocked over a bunch of stuff and there was a big mess on the floor.”

“Huh,” Lin said, scratching the back of his neck.  One thing that really irked him was lying and unfortunately his daughter was deciding to take that route today instead of just coming clean.  “Did you help clean it up?”

“Uh-huh,” she said, nodding her head.  She wasn’t looking at him – another big indicator she was lying.

“Anything else happen?” he prompted her, giving her one last chance to come clean.  She shook her head, further sealing her fate.

“Well, Sebastian told me that you tried to steal a bag of M&M’s,” he informed her, sitting fully upright.  “What happened there?”

His daughter’s face flushed, knowing she was caught.

“Look at me,” he told his daughter gently, and she complied reluctantly.  “Tell me the truth.  What happened?”

Emilia sighed and tossed her bracelet onto her bed.  Her dad really wasn’t happy with her now.  “I really really wanted some M&M’s but Sebastian told me no,” she confessed.  “But I really wanted them so I put them in my pocket but then the security guy saw me and stopped us.”

“You tried to steal?” he clarified, giving his child a serious look.  She nodded shamefully.  “Stealing is very bad, Emilia.  When someone tells you you can’t have something, even if you’re disappointed you have to accept it.  You cannot steal.  Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” she said quietly, looking at her feet.

“And now we have the problem that you just lied to me about it,” he went on.  “I asked you what happened and you didn’t tell the truth.  Why?”

Emilia twisted her lips to the side, her hands now tucked underneath her thighs.  She shrugged.

“Use words,” Lin told her firmly.  He didn’t let his kids get away with just shrugging and not answering his questions.

“I didn’t want to get in trouble,” she said softly.

“Even when it’s hard, you always tell the truth,” Lin reminded her.  “That’s something you’re gonna have to learn.  Now since you tried to steal and then lied to me about it, you’ve definitely earned a spanking today.”  


“Daddy, no!” she looked at him pleadingly.  “I won’t do it again!”

“I truly hope not,” he said, standing up.  Lin tucked the chair back underneath the desk.  “On your belly.”

Emilia whimpered as her father grasped her upper arm.  She didn’t fight but didn’t make it easy.  Lin turned her around, draping her body onto her bed so her bottom was at the edge.  Just then, the bedroom door opened and Sophia appeared.  Her eyes widened when she saw the position her sister was currently in.  She was about to get spanked.

“Soph, go back to the living room please,” Lin told his other daughter.  With wide eyes, she nodded and quickly closed the door as she heard her twin crying and pleading.  She felt badly for her sister.  Their dad’s spankings hurt bad.  Sophia wondered what she’d done to get in so much trouble.

Back in the twins’ bedroom Lin placed his right hand at the top of his daughter’s back to keep her down on the bed.  Without further hesitation he used his left hand to start swatting her butt hard.  Instantly, her hips jerked around, trying to get away from the path of his hand but it was no use.  She cried and begged as he spanked his daughter hard over and over.  After five swats, the begging stopped and all she could do was cry.  She stopped fighting as Lin swatted her a few more times, making sure his message got through loud and clear.

After he’d spanked her soundly, Lin gently moved her hips onto the mattress.  The little girl bawled and began rubbing at her stinging bottom.  Lin knew she’d need time to cry and get herself together while she thought about why she’d just gotten spanked.  He sighed as he left the room, closing it behind him.  When he went back to the kitchen, Sophia was looking at him wide-eyed from the couch.

“Did you have fun at Leah’s?” he asked his daughter as he went to the pantry for a snack.  It was probably unsettling to walk in on your twin sister about to get spanked.  Sophia just nodded.  “Want a graham cracker?”

She nodded again and Lin found a cracker.  He walked over and sat next to her, passing it over.  She took a bite and they both chewed on their snacks.  The sound of Emilia crying could be heard faintly but they didn’t discuss it.  If Emilia wanted to tell her sister about it later, she could, but Lin made it a general rule not to talk about punishments with the other siblings.

Lin found the remote and turned it on, ready for a distraction.  He hated spanking the kids, but Em had left him no choice.  She’d stolen _and_ lied.  She needed to understand both were absolutely unacceptable.

The three Mirandas sat on the couch and relaxed for a while together.  About half an hour later, Emilia slowly walked down the hallway and appeared next to the couch.  Lin noticed her there, rubbing at her eyes.

“Do you need something, Em?” he asked his daughter.  She rubbed her eyes silently for a few moments then started crying.  Lin set his bowl aside and held out a hand.  She slowly walked to him, letting the tears fall freely now.  Lin pulled his daughter into his arms, settling her on his lap.  Emilia could be a tough cookie, but she was still a seven year old girl who needed her daddy too.  Lin wrapped his arms around her as she cried.  He pressed a kiss to her head and held her.

Sophia looked at her twin sister crying, feeling badly for her.  She scooted closer to her father, letting her head rest on his arm.  She let her arm rest on her sister’s bare legs and they all just sat together.

“You better now?” Lin asked Emilia gently after her crying had died down.  He gently pushed some hair away form her face.  She nodded, letting her head rest on his upper chest.  “Good.” He kissed her head again.

Lin made it a point that for every spanking he had to give, he made sure he also showered his kids with love.  While he was upset and disappointed with them, he spanked them because he wanted them to turn into good adults.  As the three of them cuddled on the couch, everything was right again with their world.


	13. Trading Places

Lin walked up the steps of the Hunter College Elementary School building around 3:00.  Other parents and students were streaming out at dismissal time.  He hadn’t planned on being here today.  In fact, he had a full afternoon planned and he’d had to cancel them because of a phone call he’d received earlier from one of the twins’ teachers, Mrs. Patterson.  The call had left him furious and disappointed and he’d decided he needed to come talk to her himself in person to get the full story.

After checking in at the main office, he proceeded down the elementary hallway to the third grade classrooms.  He found Mrs. Patterson’s room and stepped inside, finding his two eight-year-old girls sitting at some desks.  Emilia had one forearm rested on her desk, her head propped up lazily in her other hand.  Sofia sat nearly upright, her hands tucked between her legs.  When she saw her father she dropped her head, tears swimming in her eyes.  The girls were dressed identically, right down to their matching ponytails, which rarely happened.  Apparently, that was all part of their plan.

“Mr. Miranda,” Mrs. Patterson greeted him, walking over from her desk.  She outstretched her hand and Lin shook it, giving her a sheepish smile.  Thankfully, most of their conversations were pleasant ones, as Sofia had been excelling in her class.  Sofia loved school and was one of the grade’s top readers.  She’d always read voraciously, which was partially how she and Emilia had gotten themselves into trouble today. 

“Please, sit down,” she gestured to a chair at a kidney-shaped table in the corner of the classroom.  “Girls, why don’t you join us.”

Emilia stood and practically stormed over, obviously annoyed.  She pulled out the chair and plopped down, then rested her chin on her forearms.  Sofia followed behind much more slowly, fighting tears.  Lin and Mrs. Patterson took a seat with them.

“Thanks for coming in,” Mrs. Patterson began.  “As I started to explain on the phone, we had a bit of a disappointing situation happen today.”

“Sounds like it,” Lin said, glancing at his daughters.  “A reading test?”

The teacher nodded.  “Every student takes the NWEA test three times a year.  Their reading scores help us determine what small groups to place them in so I can best support them.  My class took their test yesterday and Sofia did extremely well.  She scored a ****.  Ms. Shultz’s class took their test today and reported that Emilia’s score had risen dramatically.”

Mrs. Patterson handed Lin his daughter’s NWEA reports.  Both girls were very smart; they had to be smart to get into Hunter College Elementary, a magnet school for gifted kids.  However, Emilia had never been into reading.  Getting her to read was like pulling teeth and it showed in her school work.  She wasn’t below grade level by any means, but she certainly wasn’t one of the top readers.

“I noticed who I thought was Sofia acting a bit…out of character throughout the day,” she went on.  “Ms. Shultz noticed the same.  We put two and two together and realized the girls had switched classrooms for the day.”

Lin looked at his girls.  Emilia looked mad, her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the ground.  Sofia looked panicked and disappointed in herself.  The two different reactions were typical of the twins.  Emilia was strong-willed and stubborn.  Even when she knew she was in the wrong she’d defend herself and argue.  Sofia was a rule-follower and an adult pleaser.  She over-achieved and took great pride in her work.  Somehow her sister had convinced her to do this.

“Girls?” Lin prompted his daughters.  “Is this true?”

Emilia shrugged her shoulders and Sofia let out a little sob.

“Why?” he asked them, looking back and forth between them.  “Emilia?”

She let out an annoyed grumble, which wouldn’t fly with her father.

“Sit up,” Lin told her firmly and she did so reluctantly with a sigh.  “Now answer my question.  Why did you trade classrooms?”

She spoke softly, knowing her father wouldn’t like the answer.  “So Sofia could take my test for me.”

Lin crossed his arms, studying Emilia.  “And why would she need to do that?”

“Because she’s smarter than me and I don’t wanna be in the low reading group,” she explained, looking down.  Lin nodded, taking in the new information.

“You’re a perfectly good reader,” Lin told her.  “Emilia just reads more, which is why she’s in the high group.  Have you ever thought that maybe to get a better score, you might read more at home?”

She shrugged again, chewing at her bottom lip a little. 

“Emilia, Ms. Shultz and I use those scores to make sure you’re in the right place,” Mrs. Patterson tried to explain.  “If you were to be put into a group that’s too hard it wouldn’t do you any good.  You’d struggle and get frustrated and that wouldn’t help you become a better reader.”

Lin nodded in agreement.  “Sofia, I’m surprised you agreed to this,” he addressed his other daughter.  “Did you think it was a good idea?”

The older twin teared up again, hating to be in trouble.  “No,” she admitted tearfully.

“Then why’d you agree to it?” Lin asked her.  He was pretty sure he knew why.  Emilia could be very persuasive, which would come in handy if she decided to follow in the footsteps of her mother and become a lawyer.  Em could get Sofia to agree to a lot of things simply because she had the more dominant personality.  When Sofia did get into trouble, which was rare, it was usually because of something her sister had conjured up.

Sofia just burst into tears and sobbed, “I’m sorry!”

Lin torqued his jaw and turned his attention back to Mrs. Patterson.  “I’m sorry for whatever trouble this has caused,” he told her.  “Will Emilia be able to take the test herself tomorrow?”  


“Yes,” she confirmed.  “We’ll erase the score from today so we can get an accurate measurement.”

“And do they have any consequences here at school?” Lin asked.

“At this age they’re reprimanded and we call a parent/teacher conference,” she explained.  “So that’s all taken care of.  If you could just reinforce that cheating is not okay at home, we’d appreciate it.”  


“I’ll definitely be doing that,” Lin assured her, standing up.  He offered his hand again and thanked Mrs. Patterson for her time.  “Girls, let’s go.”

Usually when they were picked up from school the girls could expect a trip to the park and maybe even a stop for some ice cream, but they knew today that would not be the case.  If they were getting anything at all, it was going to be a good hard spanking.

The subway ride and walk home were silent.  The girls trailed behind their dad as they took the elevator up to the house, both dreading the stern lecturing and punishment that was to come.  They hated to disappoint their dad.  He was so fun-loving and silly most of the time and when that sense of fun went away it was disheartening.  He was a ray of sunshine in their lives, as he was to many people, and to let him down somehow felt worse.

“Sit on the couch,” he told them when they stepped in the door.  They set their backpacks down and meekly walked over, keeping their eyes down.  His disappointed face was awful.  Lin walked over, standing in front of the twins and crossed his arms.

“You are both very, very smart girls,” he reminded them.  “So I cannot for the life of me figure out why you would do something like this.  Emilia, for you to ask your sister to take your test for you?  And Sofia, for you to go along with it?  What were you thinking?”

They sensed it was a rhetorical question and stayed quiet, looking at their feet.  “Sofia, what exactly did your sister say to you?”

Lin observed Sofia look to her sister, as if trying to decipher what Emilia wanted her to say.  Lin quickly realized that he probably wouldn’t get a straight answer out of Sofia if her sister was there.

“Em, why don’t you go to your room,” he told his youngest, scratching at his goatee.  “I’ll come deal with you in a minute.”

She sighed and trudged down the hallway.  Sofia’s face began to flush, realizing she was now the center of her father’s interrogation.  Emilia wasn’t there as a buffer.  She couldn’t lie to her dad and he knew it.  Lin sat down on the coffee table in front of her.

“Sofia, we’ve talked about this many times,” he began.  “When your sister thinks up some outrageous plan, it does not mean you have to go along with it.  You have your own mind and you need to use it.”

“But Daddy, she made me,” Sofia began to cry softly.

“Made you how?” he asked.  “You have your own brain that controls your own body.”

She continued to cry and Lin realized there was more to the story.  “Tell me.”

Lin waited patiently while his daughter calmed down a bit more.  “She…she said she’d tell on me for something I did if I didn’t take the test for her.”

Lin sighed and dropped his head for a moment.  One twin blackmailing the other.

“What did you do?” he asked her, and Sofia burst into a fresh round of tears.

“I…I took the cookies from the pantry and…” she hiccupped between sobs “I hid ‘em under my bed and I eat them at night sometimes even after I brush my teeth!”

It all came out as a blubbering mess.  Lin almost laughed.  He was expecting something horrible, but her ‘misdeed’ was almost comical.  The girl loved her cookies.

“Well, that explains where all the Oreos went,” Lin chuckled a little, in spite of the overall situation.  Sofia, however, still seemed completely horrified at her behavior.  On multiple occasions she told on herself before anyone even had a chance to snitch.

“Mija, that’s not that bad,” he told her gently.  “You need to knock that off, but that’s just minor.  What I am worried about is that you let Emilia talk you into cheating.  That’s not something I’d expect either of you to do.  Most of all you.  You’ve always been very honest.”

“I know!” she sobbed some more.  “I’m sorry!”

Lin moved to sit next to her on the couch, wrapping an arm around her.  He kissed the top of her head and pulled her in tight for a hug.  Sofia rarely had to be punished because she was so hard on herself.  It broke his heart that she was so upset with herself.  She really was a good kid, but he still needed to punish her.  He couldn’t let her get away with cheating with just a lecture.

He kissed her head again as she calmed down.

“I’m glad that you’re sorry for what you did,” he continued, “but I still need to punish you.”

Sofia rubbed at her eyes, knowing it couldn’t be avoided.  She’d done something very, very bad and she deserved to be punished.

“Stand up,” he told her gently and she let out a sad whimper as he stood her between his legs so he could look her in the eye.  “I will always love you no matter what you do.  And you can tell me anything.  Next time, if your sister comes up with something and your conscience tells you it’s a bad idea what should you do?”

“Say no and tell you or Mommy,” she replied softly.

“That’s right,” he said, patting her hips.  “I’m gonna paddle your sister but I’m just gonna spank you with my hand, alright?”

Sofia teared up a bit but nodded as her daddy gently gripped her upper arm and brought her to the left of his legs.  She dutifully bent over, taking the dreaded position.  Sofia didn’t even put up a fight as Lin positioned her bottom.  Lin held her right upper arm to hold her in place and then began to spank his daughter’s bottom soundly.  Her body jerked and she let out a sorrowful owwww as he swatted her five times.  Lin knew she was already remorseful, so the spanking wasn’t the worst she’d received by any means. 

He stood her up carefully then followed suit himself.  “It’s done,” he told her, scratching at the top of her head.  “You stay here while I deal with your sister.”

Sofia cried and rubbed at her eyes, sitting back down on the couch.  Lin headed down the hallway to deal with the mastermind of this whole thing.  He knocked and then pushed the door open to find Emilia laying on her bed playing on the iPad, apparently unconcerned about the whole situation.  Lin plucked the iPad from her hands and set it on the desk.

“Hey!” she complained, sitting up, glaring at her father.

“Do you really want to be getting an attitude with me right now?” he asked her, quirking his eyebrows, hands on hips.  Lin looked down at his daughter, who seemed almost bored.  Sometimes he had a hard time understanding Emilia; how she could be so brazen.  He and his wife were trying their best to make sure she turned into an empathetic, responsible adult, but they had a lot of work on their hands.

“Why, Emilia?” he began, crossing his arms and pacing the space in front of her bed.  “You would’ve gotten a perfectly good score on that test and things would’ve be fine.  You’d be in the right reading group at your _gifted_ elementary school.  Why isn’t that good enough?”

She huffed, her hands tucked under her thighs, as if it would take so much energy to explain.  “Because all the other kids call it the dumb group!  We’re barely above grade level and the other kids are retarded.”

“Don’t use that word in that way,” he told her, not wanting her to think of it as an insult.  “None of the kids in that school are dumb.  You all had to take a pretty hard test to get in.”

“The other kids said the only reason I got in was because Emilia did and they couldn’t separate us,” she informed him.

“That’s not true,” Lin told her.  “You both scored way above the average.  You earned your spot.  I went there when I was a kid too, Em, and I know the other kids can be intimidating.  But you’re smart in your own way.  Different from Sofia.”

“Sofia’s smarter than me.”

“Sofia reads more than you and she doesn’t cop an attitude,” Lin eyed her.  “You’re more like your mother.  You’re damn good at arguing, obviously.  Maybe one day you’ll want to be a lawyer like her.”

Sofia rolled her eyes, thinking that sounded boring.

“But even to be a lawyer, you need to work hard and be honest,” he continued.  “If you’re trying to cheat your way through life, you’re only going to cheat yourself.”  


Lin could tell he was losing her with his lecturing.  “I’m most disappointed that you roped your sister into this.  She didn’t want to do this, but I heard you threatened to tell on her if she didn’t.”

She gaped, surprised that her sister had spilled the beans.  “That snitch!”

“Sofia is not a snitch,” he told her.  “I would expect her to tell me or your mother about something like this.  Both of you know better.  I will not have you thinking that cheating is okay, or that you can blackmail people to get what you want.  Understood?”

“Yes,” she grumbled.

“Good,” he said.  “Go get the paddle.”

Her face turned white as a sheet and she searched her father’s face to see if he was serious.  He was dead serious.  “Daddy, why?!”

“Cheating is very serious, Emilia,” he told her.  “I cannot afford to let you forget that.”

“Daaad…” she pleaded a little tearfully.  It broke Lin’s heart to see her beg, but he needed to stand his ground.  He could not let cheating become a habit of hers, so he needed to give her a very strong reminder that it wouldn’t be tolerated.

“It’s hanging in the closet,” he reminded her, not budging.  Emilia cried softly as she stood and went to her bedroom door.  This was almost worse than the actual paddling.  She hated how he always made her go get the paddle.  It kind of forced her to accept what was happening and reminded her who was in charge.  She reluctantly wandered into her parents’ bedroom and opened the walk-in closet door.  There, on the left wall, the wooden paddle hung.  She let out a little sob as she took it off the hook and then closed the door again.  Emilia cried softly as she walked slowly back, trying to avoid the paddling for as long as possible.  Her father stood in the doorway, watching her come.

“Speed it up,” he instructed her as she dawdled.  She finally reached the door and Lin took the paddle, then shut the door behind them.  “Bend over the bed.”

She looked back at him one last time with pleading eyes.  “Daddy?”  


“Over the bed,” he repeated simply.  She let out a resigned whimper as she walked the final few steps.  Bending over the bed left her no escape.  There would be nowhere for her poor little bottom to go.  The eight year old draped her upper body over the mattress, her bottom at the edge, and rested her forehead on her forearms.  Lin approached, resting his right hand on her mid-back to keep her in place.  Without further ado, he pulled back the paddle and swatted Emilia’s jeans hard.

“Ahhhhaaahahahowwww,” she immediately complained, her body immediately tensing.  Before she could process much of anything, her father had brought down a second swat, then a third.  Her bottom stung badly and she didn’t remember it hurting this much before.  She wanted desperately to get away, but her daddy had her pinned down.  Lin paddled her hard five times in total.  While he’d gone a bit easy on Sofia, he knew he couldn’t do the same right now with Emilia.  She had thought this whole thing up and had forced her sister to go along with it.

When he was done he released his hand from her back and she let her knees drop to the floor, collapsing in sobs.  Lin sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, hating to see his kid in pain, but this was one of his jobs as her father.  He had to punish her when she fowled up, especially this bad.  She was a mess of sobs so he quietly turned and closed the door behind him, taking the paddle back to his bedroom.

Lin sighed heavily again as he hung the paddle back where it belonged, hoping he wouldn’t have to use it again anytime soon.  With both girls now soundly spanked, he went back to the kitchen to grab a quick beer to relax.  Kids were stressful as hell sometimes.  He loved them like crazy and would do anything to protect them.  That included protecting them from future bad decisions.  If either of them even thought of cheating again, he hoped they would think back to the spankings they’d received today.

Sofia was laying on the couch now, sniffling softly as she recovered from her relatively light spanking.  Lin knew this had all been her sister’s idea and she’d gotten caught up in it, but she’d still cheated.  He popped the top off his beer bottle with an opener and took a long swig. He walked over slowly behind the couch, then leaned down and pressed a kiss to her head.

“I’m sorry I had to spank you, sweetheart,” he told her, meaning it.  She let out a sorrowful whimper as he gently tousled her dark hair.  “Do you wanna go lay down in bed for a while?”

She nodded and slowly pushed herself up.  He gave her a small smile and walked around to meet her at the edge of the couch.  Lin opened his arms and she gratefully stepped into the hug, glad to have his affection back.  He gently rubbed at her upper back, wanting to make sure she knew how much he loved her, even though he had to spank her sometimes.

“I love you,” he told her quietly.

“Love you too,” she murmured.  Lin gave her back another warm rub before she walked back to her bedroom.  She pushed the door open to the room she shared with her twin and the reason she’d gotten a rare spanking today.  Sofia was mad at her sister, but above all she was mad at herself.  Her daddy had been right.  She knew way better than to go along with cheating on that test.  It was so bad and so wrong. 

Emilia was laying on her bed, still crying softly when Sofia sat on her own bed and glared at her.  They hadn’t seen each other since they’d first entered their apartment and their dad had made them sit on the couch.  Now they’d both been spanked and it was all Emilia’s fault.

“You shouldn’t have made me,” Sofia growled at her twin.

Emilia didn’t answer immediately, giving her still stinging bottom a rub.  She felt badly that her sister had gotten spanked because of her.  It all should have worked out, but it didn’t.  Emilia reached for the back of her pants, pushing her slightly loose jeans and panties down to look at her bottom.  It was a bright pink from the paddling she’d received.  It was awful getting paddled, but afterwards she always felt a bit more tough.  There was the physical proof that she’d been thoroughly paddled and she’d gotten through it.  She felt kind of proud of herself.

“Maybe if you hadn’t messed it all up we would’ve gotten away with it,” Emilia quipped, letting her panties and jeans fall back into place.  Sofia was momentarily stunned.  Her sister was blaming her for messing it up?

“You’re the one who can’t shut up!” Sofia accused.  The twins had very different personalities.  Emilia talked a mile a minute and had never met a stranger.  Sofia was more quiet and reserved.  To everyone around them, it had probably been obvious that they had switched places for the day.  Sofia couldn’t just magically turn on the social charm her sister had, and it was almost impossible for Emilia to just not socialize.  How did her sister do it?

“Maybe if you’d actually talk sometimes like a normal person,” Emilia went on.  “No wonder you don’t have any friends.  You’re so boring.”

“Am not!” Sofia shouted back.

“Are too!” Emilia countered.

Back in the living room, Lin heard shouting from the twins’ room and groaned.  Hadn’t they had enough problems for the day?  He sat on the couch, his feet propped up as he continued to drink his beer.  Lin braced himself for one of them barging out to tell on the other.  Just then his wife, Vanessa, walked in the door after a long day at work.

“Hey,” she greeted him as she set her work bag down by the counter.

“Hey,” Lin answered, taking down his feet and standing up.  He set his beer down and wandered over to where his wife was kicking off her work shoes.  Seeing her always made him feel better.  Best of wives and best of women.  She smiled when she saw that familiar look on his face.  That look that turned her insides to mush.  To him, she was the most important person in the world.  Lin was completely and irrevocably in love with her, and the feeling was mutual.  They both leaned in a shared a sweet kiss.  Before they got into the problems of the day, Vanessa just draped her arms around his shoulders and he let his hands rest at her hips.  They swayed back and forth gently, foreheads connected as they exchanged a kiss every now and then.  Then, screams.

Lin let his eyes close and an exhausted sigh escaped his throat. 

“I’ll go,” Vanessa told her husband, letting her hands rub soothingly at his neck.  Lin kissed her gratefully, glad to let her take over. Vanessa stepped around the kitchen island and began to walk back to her daughters’ bedroom.  She’d heard all the news about the cheating by text from her husband.  Honestly, she wasn’t that surprised that Emilia had thought up something like this.  She was a good kid overall but when she got an idea into her head, like getting into the high reading group, she would do almost anything to accomplish it.  It was great that she had a drive, but obviously she needed to learn how to go about accomplishing it the right way.

Vanessa pushed the girls’ door open and found them in the center of the room, pushing at each other, grabbing each other’s dark hair as they screamed and shouted.

“Girls!” she shouted over the sound, rushing over to grab some limbs.  Vanessa pulled at one of each girl’s arms, struggling to pry them from each other’s grasps.  Finally, she muscled them apart and first pushed Emilia towards her bed.  “Sit!” she commented her youngest, then turned to Sofia.  “Sofia, sit!”

Both girls obeyed, tears and anger in their eyes.  They continued to glare at each other from across the room.  Vanessa crossed her arms and eyed them both.  “Now, I’m not sure what’s gotten into you two today, but it needs to stop right now,” her voice was firm and no-nonsense. 

“She said it was my fault that we got caught!” Sofia complained, her voice raised.

“It was!” Emilia shouted, putting her body into it.  “You’re so lame!”

“You’re a jerk-face!” Sofia yelled back.

“Stop it!” Vanessa shouted over them.  “Right now!  It was a ridiculous plan to begin with.  Did you really think you could impersonate each other all day and no one would notice?  You have completely different personalities.”

“But I can act!  Like Daddy!” Emilia decided.  Vanessa had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

“Emilia,” she said, exasperated.  “You couldn’t keep your mouth shut to save the world,” she said as delicately as she could.

Sofia seemed encouraged that her mother had chided her sister.  “And Sofia, you’re practically incapable of lying.  It was bound to all fall apart.”

Both girls were silent as their mother’s words sunk in.  It had been a stupid plan and they had no one to blame but themselves.  Vanessa sighed and sat down on Sofia’s bed.

“Emilia, come sit,” she softened her voice and patted the empty space next to her.  Emilia slowly walked over and sat with her mother.  She took both girls’ hands and glanced back and forth between them.  “Being a twin is special.  And it’s okay to dress alike and try to fool people in good nature, but today you went too far.  You both know cheating is not okay.  Now, both of you have been punished so there’s no use in arguing about whose fault it was.  We all need to move on.  Do you think you can both do that?”

Vanessa looked back and forth between her twin girls and they both nodded silently.  She squeezed both their hands.  “Good,” she said.  “Now that this is all done, let’s go relax in the living room together.  We could play a game.”

“Uno?” Sofia suggested, and her sister smiled in agreement.  They all stood up and began to wander out to the living room where Lin was relaxing on the couch.  No one was bleeding or missing chunks of hair.  Vanessa gave him a reassuring smile as Sofia found the Uno cards and Emilia plopped down next to him. 

The four Mirandas gathered around the coffee table as Vanessa shuffled the cards, glad to be done with the drama of the day.  No matter what happened, they knew they could trust they’d always be a family.  After a day like today, that was more than enough.


End file.
